Lucid Nutrition

How to Save the World: One Man, One Cow, One World Trailer

In response to farmer suicides in India.

What does an environmentally friendly biodynamic food system capable of feeding everyone actually look like?

This film is a blueprint for a post-industrial future. It takes you into the heart of the world's most important renaissance.

The outcome of the battle for agricultural control in India may just dictate the future of the earth.

Our existence on this planet is precarious.

Modern industrial agriculture is destroying the earth:
Desertification, water scarcity, toxic cocktails of agricultural chemicals pervading our food chains, ocean ecosystem collapse, soil erosion and massive loss of soil fertility.

Our ecosystems ore overwhelmed. Humanity's increasing demands are exceeding the Earth's carrying capacity.

A simple recipe to save the world?

One old man and a bucket of cow-dung.

Why YOU should see this film

Modern agriculture causes topsoil to be eroded at 3 million tons per hour. (that’s 26 billion tons a year)

Human mass is replacing biomass and other species. The carrying capacity of the earth is almost spent.

To maintain our comfort zone lifestyles we will soon need five earths to sustain us in the style to which we have become accustomed.

The mantra of free trade has failed the world’s poor. There is a better way.

Human created climate change is destroying the Planet. Ecosystems collapse is not some sci-fi fantasy. It is real and it is happening. Right now.

Biodynamic agriculture may be the only answer we have left.

"When I go into my garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Best Common Sense Advice From "Top" Diet Plans

 It's 2009. Almost February.  You are still trying to keep up with your new year's resolutions, aren't you? You want to lose serious weight fast, learn to eat healthier, and how to exercise, but don't have time to read every diet book out there. Well, Health.com has saved us time. They have put together a list that encapsulates the best tips from some of the top diet plans out there—for free—so you can start putting the helpful advice into action ASAP. Swimsuit time is just around the corner and so are all the weddings you've been invited to. 

Skinny Bitch: Best Tip: Read the ingredients. Don’t eat anything you can’t pronounce.

 The Biggest Loser Calorie Counter: Best Tip: Try circuit training. The effective, total-body workouts will help you lose weight and inches, as well as boost your metabolism, strengthen your bones, and may even make you more resistant to stress.

French Women Don't Get Fat: Best Tip: Add “petit” and “peu” to your French vocabulary; you can have a little of everything if you stick to small portions.

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person Best Tip: Differentiate between cravings and hunger. If you can tell the difference between wanting to eat and needing to eat, you can cut out unnecessary calories.

The Thrive Diet: Best Tip: Eat less processed food. Sticking to whole, fiber-rich foods will help you lose weight.

You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management : Best Tip: Pick a range for your ideal weight instead of fixating on a particular number. You’ll feel guilt-free when faced with the small fluctuations that occur naturally day-to-day.

Dr. Phil's The Ultimate Weight Solution Food Guide: Best Tip: Reduce your exposure to unhealthy foods and to the cues that cause you to eat. You can’t eat what isn’t there! (in other words, stop buying junk or fast food when you know it is not worth your money)

The advice above also includes a "Worse Advice from Top Diet Plans" (according to Health.com) but some of those "worse tips"...I actually agree with...with some flexibility. For instance:

The Thrive Diet: Worst Tip???: Eat raw. Didn’t the raw food trend already come and go?

My answer to that question is NO NO NO. I mean does the girl in the picture above look like she is gonna give up that celery stick? The raw food 'trend' should not be labeled as one in my opinion. Every BODY needs whole raw unprocessed foods. I am not saying that one must eat ONLY raw foods, but I think it is so important for us to eat a greater amounts of fruits and veggies in their raw state. Fiber, Nutrients, Detox, Energy. Need I say more? Check out Dr. RitaMarie's Recipe E-books if you are new to raw foods. They will come in handy.

Skinny Bitch: Worst Tip???: You must eat vegan. The dairy- and animal-products-free lifestyle is just too extreme for many dieters.

Well, I don't think anyone must absolutely follow a vegan diet, but being a vegan since 2004 and feeling great makes me a lil' biased. So I will let you decide. I think you should try it for a month at least.  See if it makes a difference in the way you are feeling physically and the way that you think about animals. Here is a link to a great vegetarian starter kit which is always in my sidebar. Also, you should read World Peace Diet by Dr. Will Tuttle and see if that won't turn you into a vegan :)

You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management : Worst Tip???: Eat the exact same thing for lunch—and breakfast too if you can stand it—every day. The lack of variety may bore you to the point of giving up on your diet.

I am not so sure this is a bad idea. If you were to eat the same thing everyday for breakfast and lunch which includes a colorful array of mixed vegetables, fruits, and grains... how could it bore you? You get satisfaction every time you eat. You look forward to your bowl of oats in the morning, your blueberry on mixed greens salad for lunch. And whenever you do have other (healthy) foods, your taste buds will be soooo stoked. You will learn to appreciate your taste buds and the cravings for the unhealthy junk will most likely be obsolete; vanished. Also, you might be just like my guy who actually LOVE's eating the same thing everyday for breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal, slice of HealthNut lightly buttered, with a whole banana and a cup of fresh squeezed juice, sometimes a small apple.

The Biggest Loser Calorie Counter:: Worst Tip??: Start your own competition à la Biggest Loser, complete with group meetings and registration fees. If you’re into the kitsch, go for it, but without producers, camera crew, and a six-figure salary, it’s not worth the trouble.

I think the underlying point here is to create a support system of people who can encourage one another to stick to their healthier diets and lifestyles. Beyond the registration fees and winning a lump sum of money in this silly tip, is the notion that humans are by nature compassionate beings who will oftentimes do a better job of achieving their goals with the help of a community (even if it is only you, your best friend, and your sister on the healthy transformation mission) For the record, I've never seen an episode of The Biggest Loser, so I might be completely off here.

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person Worst Tip??: Just say, “Oh well.” If you’re really dreading going to the gym, or just dying to have a few more fries, are you really going to be able to just say, “Oh well,” and stick to the rules of your diet?

Here's is what I take from this tip. Do NOT get so down on yourself when you give in to a temptation, craving, or the sweet pressure in Grandma's kitchen for pan dulce or homemade buttery tortillas. Just DO NOT let it happen as frequently as you let it before. It's all about finding a comfortable balance for you and staying focused. No person, book, or TV show can tell you exactly what you should be eating and when. A magazine, blog, not even a doctor, can know your body the way you do OR are learning to.

I think it's safe to say that  people can begin to suffer from serious mental illnesses (i.e. depression) all because of their supposed dieting failures. Many people start to feel like they have no control over their bodies and lose touch with the reality that they DO indeed have the will power to switch from bad eating habits to GREAT ones. Many people (men, women, and sadly children) have turned the comfort, joy, & energy food brings us into an addiction. The problems escalates. Pounds & toxins added to the body makes a person less likely to work out, to feel their bodies. I think it is natural for a person to want to lose excess weight gain. Your body can not handle being sick anymore. It wants and needs to be free. You are your body. You want to be free. 

And If you don't feel like exercising today or tomorrow, you may be lacking some key nutrients. Eat more greens. Drink more water. Nothing from a box. Nothing from a bag. Unless of course you picked up some nuts, seeds, or dried fruit (in moderation). Tell me if I am missing something...is there anything else that is TRULY healthy that comes from a bag or a box? I dare you to come up with something

Good food makes us happy. Healthier food makes us happier. Bring awareness to your plate. Be a lucid eater.

iHealthTube

Hi. I just wanted to tell you about this new site I recently came across. If you ever find yourself looking for straightforward information regarding a wide range of natural health topics, check out IHealthTube.com and follow them on Twitter too. The online video site is supported by Swanson Health Products who carries products such as stevia! (for a reasonable price too). iHealthtube is aiming to be the Internets leader in health videos and conversations. I felt like I was actually sitting in a doctors office as I watched the first video. They are not even trying to do the spunky cyber fame thing. There is nothing flashy about it, which could be a good thing. We need these no-nonsense, 'serious about our health' blips.

Videos I've watched so far:

Thyroid and Weight Gain where Dr. Stephen Langer explains how nutritional imbalances and low thyroid produce symptoms similar to that of fibromyalgia.

How to Know if You're Really Hungry where Ori Hofmekler explains how you can know the difference between real hunger and false hunger and cravings. (Good one) Cookies and cake are false hungers and most processed foods are addicting. (Damn) Also, explains ways to break the vicious cycle of the junk food habit.

Why Sugar is So Bad For You where Frank Murray explains why the sweetness is bad for our health and what to do to prevent diabetes. Also the video provides details on how to prevent diabetes and the best exercise for diabetics.

I could sit and watch these videos all day. Here's their extensive topic list. Maybe one day, they will allow for us to embed videos directly onto our sites.

Anyway, hope you are feeling great!! My mom gave me a box of 88 apples the other day that I have to attend to. I'm thinking of apple butter, apple sauce, apple juice, and apple chips. 

Mindful Eating Inspiration

By Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindful eating is very pleasant. We sit beautifully. We are aware of the people that are sitting around us. We are aware of the food on our plates. This is a deep practice. Each morsel of food is an ambassador from the cosmos. When we pick up a piece of a vegetable, we look at it for half a second. We look mindfully to really recognize the piece of food, the piece of carrot or string bean. We should know that this is a piece of carrot or a string bean. We identify it with our mindfulness: "I know this is a piece of carrot. This is a piece of string bean." It only takes a fraction of a second.

When we are mindful, we recognize what we are picking up. When we put it into our mouth, we know what we are putting into our mouth. When we chew it, we know what we are chewing. It's very simple.

Some of us, while looking at a piece of carrot, can see the whole cosmos in it, can see the sunshine in it, can see the earth in it. It has come from the whole cosmos for our nourishment.

You may like to smile to it before you put it in your mouth. When you chew it, you are aware that you are chewing a piece of carrot. Don't put anything else into your mouth, like your projects, your worries, your fear, just put the carrot in.

And when you chew, chew only the carrot, not your projects or your ideas. You are capable of living in the present moment, in the here and the now. It is simple, but you need some training to just enjoy the piece of carrot. This is a miracle.

I often teach "orange meditation" to my students. We spend time sitting together, each enjoying an orange. Placing the orange on the palm of our hand, we look at it while breathing in and out, so that the orange becomes a reality. If we are not here, totally present, the orange isn't here either.

There are some people who eat an orange but don't really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future. They are not really present, with body and mind united.

When you practice mindful breathing, you become truly present. If you are here, life is also here. The orange is the ambassador of life. When you look at the orange, you discover that it is nothing less than fruit growing, turning yellow, becoming orange, the acid becoming sugar. The orange tree took time to create this masterpiece.

When you are truly here, contemplating the orange, breathing and smiling, the orange becomes a miracle. It is enough to bring you a lot of happiness. You peel the orange, smell it, take a section, and put it in your mouth mindfully, fully aware of the juice on your tongue. This is eating an orange in mindfulness. It makes the miracle of life possible. It makes joy possible.

The other miracle is the Sangha, the community in which everyone is practicing in the same way. The woman sitting next to me is also practicing mindfulness while eating her breakfast. How wonderful! She is touching the food with mindfulness. She is enjoying every morsel of her breakfast, like me. We are brother and sister on the path of practice. From time to time we look at each other and smile. It is the smile of awareness. It proves that we are happy, that we are alive. It is not a diplomatic smile. It is a smile born from the ground of enlightenment, of happiness.

That smile has the power to heal. It can heal you and your friend. When you smile like that, the woman next to you will smile back. Before that, maybe her smile was not completely ripe. It was ninety percent ripe. If you offer her your mindful smile, you will give her the energy to smile one hundred percent.

When she is smiling, healing begins to take place in her. You are very important for her transformation and healing. That is why the presence of brothers and sisters in the practice is so important. This is also why we don't talk during breakfast. If we talk about the weather or the political situation in the Middle East, we can never say enough.

We need the silence to enjoy our own presence and the presence of our Dharma brothers and sisters. This kind of silence is very alive, powerful, nourishing, and transforming. It is not oppressive or sad. Together we can create this kind of noble silence.

Sometimes it is described as "thundering silence" because it is so powerful.

Magic in Eating

excerpt from Bob Makransky’s book Magical Living

We all know that "you are what you eat"; and many of us are becoming aware that this maxim has a spiritual as well as a physical dimension. We know we feel better when we eat well – when our bodies, rather than our minds, dictate what we should or should not eat. Many of us have experienced a complete change in attitudes and outlook on life by simply changing our diets. Whole bodies of thought, such as the Jewish kosher laws and macrobiotics, have evolved to stress the spirituality of food, to emphasize its sacredness.

The "spiritual quality of food" is not a metaphor: food contains a light fiber energy which is as important to our sustenance as vitamins and proteins, but which is not susceptible to chemical analysis. And just as the vitamin and protein content of food can be diminished by processing or overcooking, so too can the light fiber content (energy) of food be diminished by disrespect.

Light fibers can be thought of as good feelings. When we feel good, we can literally glow. When a food plant or animal feels good, it glows.

Love from the Roots

Not all cultures have been so cut off from their true feelings about food as ours is today. Many Native American tribes had a deep awareness that they were a part of what they ate – e.g., the buffalo. They lived with the buffalo, followed the buffalo, prayed to the buffalo. They were one with the buffalo, and thus to them eating was a sacrament. Many modern Native Americans maintain this same attitude of reverence towards maize.

But in America today, we mine food, extract the nutrients out of it, strip it, rape it, and throw it away. What little nourishment for the spirit is left in food, by modern agricultural and processing methods, is completely destroyed by the way we eat it. We use food in a most disrespectful manner – stuffing it in gluttonously whether we are hungry or not, whether it tastes good or not, whether we really want it or not; and then we waste food as if to piss on it. Like sex, we have turned the sacredness of eating from a joyous, spiritual act -- into a source of great shame.

Eat for Nourishment, Gently

An infant doesn’t conceive of his food or his mother as something separate from himself; he doesn’t feel more important than his food, and therefore doesn’t feel disconnected from it. When an infant eats, he mingles with his food: he touches it, he gets to know how it feels. It’s pretty, it satisfies his hunger, it makes him happy. But when an infant first sees adults eat, it makes him feel shame. This is because we adults don’t identify with our food. It’s as if our food is not a part of us, like what we are putting into our mouths is something foreign to ourselves. We attack our food as if it is separate from us, and it is the act of eating which allows us to use it. We bite it off in huge mouthfuls like ravenous hyenas, chew it and swallow it with gulps of contempt. We come together in great rituals like Thanksgiving and Christmas in which we engage in orgies of gluttony and wastefulness to jointly validate our shame, all the while calling it glory. And that lie makes us even more ashamed; so we lie about that one too, and call it glory. And so on. And nobody will look at what they are really feeling, because if being pigs has brought us glory, why look at what pigs we are?

Respect your Food

While it is true that the original light fiber energy in food can be vitiated by disrespect anywhere along the line – in handling, processing, cooking, or eating – it is also true that light fiber energy, being more flexible than vitamins or proteins, can be restored to food by respecting it and treating it as sacred – by sort of ritualizing the activities connected with it.

First of all, it’s important that you try to grow some of your own food, even if it is only a couple of pots of herbs or jars of sprouts grown on a window shelf. Try to throw in at least a pinch of homegrown herbs or sprouts into every meal you cook (not necessarily into every dish, but every meal). Can you visualize yourself casting fibers of light (positive energy) into the food as you add your home-grown herbs or produce? Can you, in your own way, bless your key, staple ingredients – salt, flour, sugar, honey, etc?

Be a Happy Cook

Observe that you should never be in a bad mood when you cook, nor must you eat food cooked by someone who is in a bad mood, or even an indifferent one. A burger from a McDonald’s where the employees are a light, happy bunch can actually be better for you than a plate of organic brown rice from a vegetarian restaurant where the cook is bored or is angry at the manager.

You can easily tell when food has bad vibes. It’s not that it tastes bad per se; rather, it feels wrong or out of place in your mouth – there’s no incentive to chew it and swallow it. Whenever you get a feeling like this about something you are eating, spit it out. Don’t swallow it, not even to be polite. Much processed, convenience food tastes like this – bland, insipid, effete, enervated – but people get so used to this kind of food that they can’t tell the difference any more. They just assume that feeling lousy all the time is how you’re supposed to feel, and they cease to notice that it's their food which is bringing them down.

Finally, talk to your food. Thank it as if it were alive and could understand you. Not a long conversation, just a simple acknowledgment that you are aware you are in the presence of something that is worthy of your respect, and from whom you wish a favor. You wouldn’t ask a human being for a favor in a surly, disrespectful manner. On the contrary, you would ask humbly and respectfully, and feel gratitude for the favor when granted.

And this is how you must address your food: take small bites, chew it slowly and mindfully, eat in silence paying attention to the act of eating, and never eat until you are full.

MEATOUT 2008

Meatout is an international observance helping individuals evolve to a wholesome, nonviolent diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains. The purpose is to expose the public to the joys and benefits of a plant-based diet, while promoting the availability and selection of meat and dairy alternatives in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants, and catering operations.

On (or around) March 20 — the first day of spring — thousands of caring people in all 50 US states and two dozen other countries will host informative and educational Meatout Events. Activities will include colorful 'lifestivals,' street theater,  lectures, public dinners, cooking demos, food samplings, leafleting, information tables called 'steakouts'. Visitors will be asked to "kick the meat habit on March 20 (first day of spring) and explore a wholesome, nonviolent diet of fruits, vegetables and whole grains." 

This occasion known as The Great American Meatout, is the world's largest and oldest annual grassroots diet education campaign. Every spring, thousands of Meatout supporters educate their communities and ask their friends, families, and neighbors to pledge to "kick the meat habit (at least for a day) and explore a wholesome, nonviolent diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains."                        
Why MeatOut?

"Kicking the meat habit" holds lasting benefits for consumer health, world hunger, resource conservation, environmental quality and animal welfare.

Kicking the meat habit reduces our risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other chronic diseases that cripple and kill nearly 1.4 million Americans annually.

Kicking the meat habit decreases our exposure to infectious pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter, which kill several thousand Americans annually and sicken millions more.

Kicking the meat habit raises our energy level, lowers our food budget, and simplifies food preparation and cleanup.

Kicking the meat habit frees up grains and other foods that can be used to feed the world's hungry. Animals are extremely inefficient "protein converters;" it can take up to 16 pounds of grain to make 1 pound of beef.

Kicking the meat habit preserves our topsoil, water, and other food production resources vital to the survival of our children and their children.

Kicking the meat habit protects our forests, grasslands, and other wildlife habitats from encroachment by cattle ranchers while reducing the polluting effects of methane, soil particles, manure, and pesticides on our air and water.

Kicking the meat habit saves animals from caging, crowding, deprivation, drugging, mutilation, manhandling, and agonizing slaughter. Each person who adopts a plant-based diet saves over 80 innocent, sentient animals each year. Over a lifetime, an individual can save more than 6,000 animals just by going vegan.

Find MeatOut activities in your area or plan on organizing your own event. If nothing else, why not try an animal free recipe? And, if you happen to be in the Houston area, join the Society of Peace, a very kind and active organization for the "Earth, Animals, Compassion, & Enlightenment". Happy Spring!

More: The World Peace Diet

 

The Art of Love in Yoga

More video of Peter Marchand can be found on YouTube. Also learn to achieve control over your emotional patterns on his website, Rasas. 

Legislative Success: Section 123 Removed from Farm Bill

Hooray! Section 123 has been removed from the Farm Bill! This would not have happened without the people who voiced their concerns about Section 123 by calling and e-mailing Congress.

As you may remember, if Section 123 had become law it would have weakened food safety and animal welfare policies by invalidating hundreds of state and local laws that provide greater protections than federal laws. Efforts to challenge the way the meat and dairy industries sell, market, and label their products would have been significantly thwarted.

While the success with Section 123 is significant, efforts to improve the Farm Bill continue—and activism is still necessary. If you care, you can contact your representative and ask him to support HR 2720, or FARM 21, a new bill that would be beneficial for farmers wanting to produce healthy foods and for Americans wanting to eat a healthful diet. FARM 21’s subsidy reforms would also free up money for nutrition programs that would enhance every American’s ability to eat a healthy diet. Learn more about HR 2720; Farm 21.

Food fuels our society and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences and politics.

Technorati Tags: Farm Bill, HR270, Farm 21, Section 123, agriculture, farming, eating spiritually, lucid nutrition, humane society, bread for children, bread for the world, hooray

"Sicko" Premiere Night

Whether or not you are a fan of Michael Moore's work, you have to admit, his latest film "SiCKO" is doing a pretty darn good job to either enlighten or make those with vested interests sicker. The film will undoubtedly be watched by the majority of the medical community and all the ill people who might afford a movie ticket. It will also be watched by all of it's critics who want to have a voice against the campaign. It is doing an outstanding job of bringing people together regardless of stance to cure the widespread disease of GREED and CORRUPTION and pointing towards the serious need for repair to the current healthcare system.

A Letter From Michael Moore
Friday, June 29th, 2007
Today is the Day for "Sicko" 

Friends,
This is it! Two years in the making! The day that our new film, "Sicko," arrives in theaters all across North America! Click here to see where the nearest one is to you. 

After you go, let me know what you think. Oh, and send us a photo or a video from your cell phone to show us what it looked like at your theater. We'd love to post a photo from each of the 440 movie theaters showing "Sicko."

Hope you enjoy the movie!

Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com

Check Out Mike on T.V.
'NOW' on PBS at 8:30 PM EST/9:30 PM PST
  'Larry King Live' TONIGHT at 9:00 PM ET

Watch the trailer if you have not yet:

Read about the 'Scrubs for Sicko' Campaign, and don't be surprised to see one of the 17,000+ nurses co-hosting at tonights premiere:)

Looking forward to the future

Once we all have the privilege of good healthcare, the next step will be to integrate unconventional methods for medicine. The day will come when physicians provide more natural options for healing rather than sticking to the sometimes cold nature of standard medicine. Doctors will persistently teach various and useful PREVENTION METHODS rather than just attacking immune systems, suppressing symptoms with pills, and destroying our machines. Educational health classes in schools will be taken more seriously and the children of the future will be born into healthier homes and lead sound lives. There will be no tolerance for unnecessary and preventable diseases in the coming days. With the aid of technology, old school healers and conventional doctors will continue to come together to work it all out.

There is hope for the 9 million uninsured children in the U.S.

And whether or not we are directly experiencing the impact of the film, Sicko, we must not continue to blindly feed the vein of GREEDiness inherent in so many of the tobacco industries, slaughterhouse corporations, and fast food industries. Eating crap food and poisoning our precious bodies is a major determinant for illness and drives the need for healthcare to begin with. Far too many of us are dying from preventable diseases based on diet and lifestyle.

And sure, not all the people who work in the sectors: fast-food, tobacco,  pharmaceutical, slaughterhouses, insurance companies, and government agencies aim to cause harm anymore than we aim to harm the ants we step on everyday. Yet, the corruption of a few eventually seeps through and in one way or another trickles down the stream to distract, disturb, and ruin the lives---body, heart, mind, and soul of so many. We are all in this together and we all have personal choices to make in every moment which effects the health of the whole Earth. So for starters, keep your body moving, make time for peaceful reflecting, cut the junk out of your lifestyle, and try eating organic nourishment as much as possible.

I'm joining the crowds energy to watch the movie tonight, if it's not sold out yet:)

Recipe: Veggie Enchiladas Verdes

For Salsa Verde:

About 6 good size tomatillos
Bunch of cilantro chopped
Juice from Half of Lime
1-2 green jalapenos diced
1/2 white onion chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 small avocado
1 tsp sugar (optional)

Cut tomatillos in half. Boil or steam them for about 10 minutes or until soft. They will start to look translucent and you might be able to see the seeds through them. Meanwhile, sautte the onions and garlic in a lil veggie broth or water for a few minutes. The smell will be absolutely wonderful as the veggies are softened.

When the tomatillos have cooled for a few minutes, place all of the them and the onions/garlic in a food processor or blender for less than a minute. Then add cilantro and avocado and blend until you reach the desired consistency. I like it smooth but not so much like baby food. If you do not have a food processor you can use a masher.

For Enchiladas:

-6 whole grain tortillas
-About 3 cups lightly steamed veggies of your choice; I used broccoli and yellow squash (chopped small) You might also like to try Spinach and Mushrooms.
-1 can Black Beans heated with a dash of curry powder, cumin, garlic powder (optional for flavor)

Preheat oven to 350º While oven is preheating warm up the tortillas for a few minutes until they are soft. In baking dish spread a bit of the salsa verde on the bottom so that tortillas will not stick afterwards.

Spread black beans & salsa verde on tortillas. Add veggies and roll it up placing finished rolled side down in baking dish. Repeat. Top with black beans and more salsa verde. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Serve with any left over black beans and steamed veggies or brown rice. Enjoy!

Nutritional Value of this Meal:

Black beans: Excellent source of Protein, Fiber, some Omega 3's.   

Avocado: Some good fat, low in Cholesterol and Sodium, a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Folate.

Broccoli: Did you know that Broccoli is 40% Protein! And also a very good source of fiber and antioxidants. I know we all know broccoli is good for us! It's green.

Whole grain tortillas: Whole grains contain all three edible parts of a grain: the inner germ, the middle endosperm and the outer bran covering. Whole grains are therefore richer in fiber, vitamins, minerals and a multitude of disease-fighting substances. By contrast, refined grains have most of their germ and bran removed during processing, resulting in a depletion of many nutritious compounds.

Tomatillos: These low cal-fat free "fruits" provide beta carotene, iron, magnesium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, & niacin.

Onions/Garlic: Making onion and garlic a staple in your healthy way of eating may greatly lower your risk of several common cancers, suggests a large data set of case-control studies from Southern European populations (Galeone C, Pelucchi C et al, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition).

“The consciousness of food depends mostly on the consciousness of the cook,” says Sri Chinmoy. “It is true that food itself has its own consciousness, but since the cook is a human being, he has a more evolved consciousness than the food. So the cook can transform the consciousness of the food if he/she wants to do so. He can add to the consciousness of the food, or he can even bring the consciousness of the food into his own consciousness for enlightenment.”