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WEEK 5 - BLOG CHALLENGE - Red/purple carrots!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing everyone a wonderful day to enjoy family, friends and a delicious turkey dinner with many yummy leftovers for the week.

Looking to add some more colour to your diet and your turkey leftovers? Why not try some heritage carrots - the red or purple variety. They are rich in beta-carotein (like all carrots but with higher levels) and all carrots are extremely high in vitamin A. Did you know that ONE carrot will give you 200% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A? Vitamin A is essential for vision and bone growth. Foods rich in cartenoids (such as carrots) protect against cataracts.

Purple and red carrots also have higher anitioxidant levels than orange carrots. The phytonutrient anthocyanin (which is the plant pigment) have strong antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory effects according to nutritional researchers from the University of Maryland. The anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanin are stronger than aspirin and anthocyanin inhibits the growth of cancer cells in the colon. So two very good reasons to add some purple or red plant food to your plates!

Pastel and pencil drawing.

How can you not resist the colours of red/purple carrots! They are not as sweet tasting as the orange ones, but are a great addition to mix in with orange carrots for a colourful side dish. They were just as much fun to draw as the less colourful parsnips, but more striking in colour. Some of the carrots transitioned from purple to orange at the tips, others were a more red/orange, and some of the purple carrots were so dark they were almost black in spots.

Red Roasted Carrots.docx

How to get started...
1) Introduce red or purple carrots into your diet this week. Use the recipe provided or find your own. An easy alternative, you can roast them with olive oil and salt and pepper.

2) Be creative with how you cut and slice your carrots. Cut them into medallions, or diagonally or julienne style (long, thin strips). Of course you can shred them into salads or coleslaw too. Why not cut them into a variety of shapes and sizes, and make a picture on your plate. Remember, I am asking you to play with your food! Then take a photograph of it before eating it!

WEEK 4 - BLOG CHALLENGE - Kale!

I am posting this challenge early, as I am away next week to a sunny destination to stock up on some Vitamin D for the upcoming winter months! Now I know that sunny get aways are not feasible for many people, but that doesn't mean you should be deprived of Vitamin D or sunny moods!

Kale is considered a super food as it's high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber! It has more iron than a serving of beef and more calcium than a glass of milk. In a serving of kale, you also get 15% of your daily requirment of Vitamin B6!

Did you know that vitamin B6 helps with moods? One of the many roles of vitamin B6 is to synthesize the neurotransmitters - serotonin and dopamine (the feel good hormones!). These naturally occurring chemicals (hormones) in your brain help your mind stay calm and focused on a task, and help you to resist depression and other mood disorders. So if you are feeling a bit down, make sure you are getting your Vitamin B6 and get outside for at least 15 min. a day to absorbe any sunshine you can get! Sunshine also puts us in a better mood!

Pastel drawing of kale.

Curly kale, I like to call it, as the edges of the leaves are so curly! Very fun to draw the contours of the plant, as you don't need to worry about observing every exact curve, just draw a curvy line in and round itself to represent the plant. That's what drawing is about - finding the simplest way to represent the idea of the subject. So many people get wrapped up in perfection and the irony of realistic drawing is that perfection should not be the focus. The focus is creating the 'essence' of the object - and the essence of curly kale is curvy, curly lines! And of course the tree like structure of the veins. Kale has a solid backbone with very distinct veins that form a letter 'Y'. This gives the leaf structure, which makes it very different to eat compared to other leafy greens.

*By the way - you don't need to eat the stem, it is very tough! But can be shredded and eaten in a 'green smoothy' for more fiber!

The kale salad recipe is a new favorite of mine, given to me by another local health coach! Thanks Kellie!

*Note this recipe is a dairy free version, but if you tolerate dairy you can substitute real parmesan for pecan parmesan!

Kale Salad with Pecan Parmesan and Cranberries.docx

How to get started...
1) Introduce kale into your diet this week. Use the recipe provided or find your own. An easy alternative, it you like juicing, is to just add kale to your 'green smoothies'!

2) Be creative with the kale. It tears easily and I find the stem like of looks like a tree. Try tearing up your kale into pieces and arrange them to make a picture on your plate. Mix the kale with other greens for variety or add some dried cranberries or nuts to the food art to add colour and texture. Then take a photograph of it!

Keep it simple and have fun and submit your 'creations' to me at lynnldallaire@gmail.com so I can track your progress for your prize!

WEEK 3 - BLOG CHALLENGE - Parsnips!

Well I will be honest - this summer was the first time I tried parsnips myself, and I really liked them! See you can try new foods well into your later years! Parsnips were not a food I grew up with, and not a common vegetable in the grocery store, so they were not really on my radar screen.

Where as carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, an antioxidant, parsnips have little pigmentation and are lacking in beta-carotene. However, they do have higher concentrations of a phytochemical (plant nutrient) called falcarinol, according to a study done by Crop & Food research. Falcarinol, is a natural pesticide found within carrots and parsnips, to guard against disease and fungus. Researchers in Denmark found that this same plant property is proven to reduce your risk of colon cancer! Other foods that contain falcarinol are carrots, celery, and fennel. Celery and parsnips have the highest concentration of falcarinol.

Nutritionally, they are similar to carrots as you can see my nutritional comparison on my recipe for Roasted Carrots and Parsnips - a great recipe for reducing your risk of colon cancer!

You can cook them just like carrots -roast them, boil them, BBQ them, or put them into soups and stews. They are very versitile.

Parsnips, pastel and pencil on paper.

Drawing these parsnips was fun. The elongated shape with the long feathery roots made it fun. Their shape and form are exactly like carrots, except they have a pale yellow pigment or a cream colour with a hint of green. Just like carrots, they have many ridges and lines that make a fun contour drawing.

How to get started...
1) Introduce parsnips into your diet this week. Cut them, roast them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper for 30 min. or so at 400 degrees. It's that simple!

2) Be creative with the parsnips. Mix them with carrots for more colour. They are simple forms to draw or photograph. You can slice them long or into discs and arrange into a picture on plate -easy food art. Keep the carrot tops or parsnip tops (if you get them) and use them in your food arrangement.

Keep it simple and have fun and submit your 'creations' to me at lynnldallaire@gmail.com so I can track your progress for your prize!

Well it's the first day of fall today, and the seasonal harvest of fresh garden veggies is coming to an end. But that doesn't mean we still can't enjoy good veggies! These golden beets were from my garden, but you can buy red or golden beets from the grocery store.

Dark, leafy greens, including beet leaves, are the best sources of vitamin K. This vitamin is needed to make proteins that stop bleeding by clotting blood. You also need vitamin K to keep your bones strong and prevent osteoporosis. Your body uses Vitamin K to make another group of proteins that regulate bone mineralization. One cup of fresh beet greens contains 152 micrograms of vitamin K, which is well over 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. When the greens are cooked, 1 cup has 590 percent of your daily intake. Cooking the greens reduces the moisture content, and concentrates the nutrients in the same size portion.

How to get started...
1) Introduce red or golden beets into your diet this week. Use the recipe below or find your own. The easiest way is to eat them is to roast them in the oven or on the BBQ. See notes in recipe.

2) Be creative with the beets and their leaves. Beet juice has a potent dye colour and is often used in for naturally dying fabrics! Maybe you want to try using the beet juice to paint with! Slice some cooked (and cooled) red beets

and stamp the sliced beets onto some paper to transfer the juice. Stamp a picture or use the beet as a paint brush! Or just slice and chop the raw beets and leaves and arrange them into a picture and take a photo!

Keep it simple and have fun and submit your 'creations' to me at lynnldallaire@gmail.com so I can track your progress for your prize!

This drawing took longer than I set aside time for, due to all the leaves. But a drawing of the full plant, looked so beautiful and it was fun getting visually lost in the overlapping leaves. Also, this is one plant in which you can eat the whole plant - root and leaves - both are filled with nutrients and phytonutrients.

Golden Beets, chalk pastel on paper.

Spinach, pear and beet salad.docx

This is my new favorite salad with roasted beets. Of course you can just roast the beets and eat them separately for a quick, simple addition. *Also for extra nutrients, add the beet leaves into your salad -if the leaves are fresh and not too tough.

WEEK 1 - Blog Challenge - Spaghetti Squash!

Follow me each week for 15 weeks, as I draw my way through some of my favorite vegetables. Of course, you could get inspired and create your own artistic images of vegetables or just try adding them into your diet.

Here's my first inspiration.....

When drawing the spaghetti squash I decided to slice it in half to make a more interesting composition. I also chose a coloured paper to contrast against the light yellow-green of the squash. Hollowing out the squash (as you would to prepare it for baking) added the depth the picture needed. Of course, I had to save a few seeds to add into the picture as well. This drawing took less than an hour, but was engaging and relaxing at the same time - which is exactly what making art is suppose to do! Being creative doesn't have to take alot of time, so keep it simple. Drawing is my passion, so it is my favorite creative outlet.

How to get started...
1) Introduce spaghetti squash into your diet this week. Cut in 1/2 and roast in oven for 30-40 min. at 350 degrees. Use a fork to pull squash into spaghetti like noodles and add butter and salt and pepper. It's that easy.

2) Be creative with the squash. Carve into it like a pumpkin and photograph it or arrange the cooked squash into a picture on your plate or draw and colour the simple form with crayons or pastels. Maybe you would prefer to do descriptive writing or make a silly poem about it.

Keep it simple and have fun and submit your 'creations' to me at lynnldallaire@gmail.com so I can track your progress for your prize!

Let me explain my motivation behind this challenge.

First, I wanted to entice people to eat more vegetables. For many, vegetables are not their favorite food, and for those who do like vegetables, they probably do not eat enough! Did you know, half of your plate should be filled with vegetables? So here's your challenge to fill up on more vegetables and fiber in your diet!

Second, I wanted to push people out of their comfort zone and find new ways to 'de-stress'. Yes creativity is a great way to relax, express yourself and de-stress! Why? Being creative makes you focus on the present moment (in this case your vegetable) which helps you forget about all your worries - temporarily. Everyone needs to carve out a small amount of time in their days to de-stress, relax, and take a moment of gratitude. What better way to integreate all of these things into a challenge to PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! So have fun with it!

This challenge is really what my philosophy on living a life of wellness is all about! Ground yourself in nutritious food and find a creative outlet to balance stress!

Good luck - may the person with the most consistent track record (that's eating and making 15 creative veggie projects) - WIN! See below for challenge details.

Up for a challenge? Starting September 15, join me in an artistic and holistic new challenge to .......

'FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR VEGETABLES' - a Fall challenge during the harvest season!

Have you ever looked at vegetables in the grocery store and wondered what to do with them?

Do you have that nagging thought that you know you should eat more vegetables, but think they are boring to eat?

Every week for 15 weeks, I will present a new vegetable for you to try to integrate into your meal plans.

You will have the CREATIVE challenge too! Explore your new vegetable with all your senses by studying it, drawing it, photographing it, cutting it up into pieces and arranging it on a plate to make a picture, write a poem or descriptive statement.... whatever inspires you - express yourself.

This creative step is an important step in SELF EXPRESSION. We often take our food for granted and don't give it a second look as how beautiful these plants can be. We also take creative expression for granted as stress release – and who couldn’t use more stress release!

NO you do not need to be an artist! You just need to learn to PLAY with your food! Yes I'm telling you to do exactly what your mother told you not to!! The playful, creative part is where you get to have fun. If you have fun with your food, you will learn to LIKE it, or hopefully fall in love with it…..

This artistic step doesn't need to take a lot of time, set aside 30 min. - 1 hour max. each week to study a vegetable and get creative. Learning to carve out a small amount of time weekly to express yourself could be the stress release you need in your life. When does anyone give you the opportunity to PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

How will I know if you've completed the challenge?

You can submit your drawings, photgraphs, poems, writings, collages, whatever your inspirations are to me via email at lynnldallaire@gmail.com

PRIZES:

I will compile the recipes and creative projects (with permission and credit) into a booklet of beautiful vegetables and recipes. This booklet will be the prize for the person who submits their challenges the most consistently over the 15 weeks.

The winner receives a FREE booklet and a FREE 4 week drawing program from myself (OR a ONE month free health coaching- value approx. $100.00). The drawing program will be offered in February or March 2015 - check events for details.

Starting Monday, Sept. 15, email me your creative inspirations at lynnldallaire@gmail.com! I will track your progress so you can win your prize.