Ingredients
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon chopped oregano
½ teaspoon chopped marjoram
½ teaspoon chopped thyme
½ teaspoon chopped sage
1 ounce reduced-fat feta cheese
2 pieces WASA Light Rye Crispbread
Directions
Place tomatoes on a flat plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.
Sprinkle tomatoes with herbs and feta. Return to microwave for 1 additional minute.
Spread onto crispbreads.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves 1
Nutritional Value Per Serving
| Calories |
87 |
| Total Fat |
4 g |
| Saturated Fat |
2 g |
| Cholesterol |
4 mg |
| Sodium |
251 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate |
9 g |
| Dietary Fiber |
3 g |
| Protein |
5 g |
| Calcium |
7% of daily value |
The dishes needed washing. There were two huge stacks – one by the sink and another over by the stove. One downside to cooking from scratch.
“All we had was salmon and spinach,” my husband said.
“But the teriyaki marinade* was homemade, remember?” Plus, during lunch, I’d been experimenting with homemade pasta sauce.
The dishes sat overnight. Today, evaluating the mess, I realized the entire kitchen needed attention – countertops, floors, fridge – along with the dining room, family room, and bathrooms.
I’ve never been obsessed with cleaning, but even this mess was grating on me.
On the other hand, it was 60 degrees and sunny outside. And I’ve been waiting for this weather since November.
But then again my parents were coming to visit later in the week, so I knew I really should tidy up.
I wasted 20 minutes debating, which included a phone consultation with my husband:
Him: You should definitely rollerblade – the weather is great.
Me: But I was going to wash all those dishes.
Him: Well, on second thought . . .
And an internal argument over the merits of what it means to be a person who writes about mindful living:
Me: A Zen Master of Cleaning would emphasize the importance of living an “uncluttered” life.
Me: But fresh air and exercise will balance out your day.
In the end I decided to blade. The President’s Challenge is underway and I committed to participating on this very blog . . . so you know . . . rollerblading is part of my job.
~~~
*Teriyaki Sauce from The Maker’s Diet: 1 T fresh, grated ginger; 3 cloves garlic, mashed; 1 T toasted sesame oil; 1 T rice vinegar; 1 T raw honey; ½ cup of soy sauce. Whisk together.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mozzarella, chopped
1 tablespoon plum tomatoes, chopped
½ tablespoon chives, chopped into ½ inch long pieces
½ teaspoon olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup arugula, chopped
2 pieces WASA Sourdough Crispbread (may substitute WASA Hearty Rye, Sourdough Rye or Multigrain Crispbread)
Directions
Mix together avocado, mozzarella and tomatoes in a small bowl.
Add chives, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Place chopped arugula on WASA Crispbread and top with salsa mixture.
TIP: Substitute mixed baby greens or baby spinach for arugula
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves 1
Nutritional Value Per Serving
| Calories |
80 |
| Total Fat |
4 g |
| Saturated Fat |
1 g |
| Cholesterol |
6 mg |
| Sodium |
100 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate |
9 g |
| Dietary Fiber |
2 g |
| Protein |
3 g |
| Calcium |
8% of daily value |
Blue Zones are places in the world where people live “astoundingly long lives” – for example, reaching the age of 100 three times the rate of Americans. And suffering a fifth the rate of heart disease. Imagine being able to hold your great-great-grandchild one day . . .
I first learned of Blue Zones when one of the editors I work with went on a “Quest” to the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, one of the four Blue Zones (the others are Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda, California, and Sardinia, Italy).
Dan Buettner, a journalist who worked extensively on researching these communities, has come out with a book titled The Blue Zone. I want to read the book in context, so I’m refraining from skipping ahead, but based on the Blue Zones website and other articles I’ve read, I know some of the lifestyle practices of centurions are (1) plant based diets (not necessarily vegetarian, but plant-based); (2) laughter; (3) spirituality; (4) family; and (5) physically active lives (like gardening and laboring).
Just because Washington DC isn’t a Blue Zone doesn’t mean my body and my house can’t be one.
