Tag Archives: vegetarian

Warm Mushroom and Brown Rice Arugula Salad Recipe (inspired from my Thai Takeout!)

This absolutely delicious, easy meal was something I whipped up for my fiance yesterday in a few minutes. It was based on, and inspired by 3 things that I found in my fridge when I started pondering what to make to eat. Also, sorry about the quality of these photos! My Blackberry camera isn’t the greatest, but I really wanted to share this recipe with you guys! It’s a great example of how easy you can apply your Beauty Detox/Glowing Lean principles easily into your life…takeout and all!

I had been working on my computer for a while, and when I stopped to take a break I realized how hungry I was. And not in the mood to have to spend a lot of time prepping! I wanted to eat more than just a plain old salad…

These were the 3 things in my fridge that I had laying around, that stood out to me:

Sliced mushrooms (I love keeping these on hand because they are so easy to work with, especially when you don’t feel like a lot of prep work. They are also high in protein and vitamin D).
Thai food leftovers- well brown rice leftovers that is. That’s all that was left from the day before! Still, pre-made brown rice… hmm, I can work with that!
Fresh basil.

I did have a lot of other veggies, and first I made a colorful salad just quickly tossing and throwing what I had on hand together. Sometimes I get those containers of pre-washed wild arugula, for when I don’t feel like breaking down kale. In this salad, I tossed in the wild arugula, microgreens (enzyme bounty), sliced radishes (high in vitamin C and silicon!), purple cabbage (high in vitamins A, C and E, as well as fiber and antioxidants) and baby bell peppers (yep, more vitamin C! Bring it on ).

Again, this only took a few minutes, because I didn’t have to wash and dry/break down the salad base (genius those packages are sometimes!), and making the salad first made me snack on a few veggies, since I was super hungry and wanted to nosh on what was within reach. So the moral is make only good things within thou reach when thou art super starved!

I tossed some fresh lemon juice and nutritional yeast through the salad (simple!) and left the salad to the side.

Next, I started cooking the mushrooms in one of those “green”, non-toxic non-stick ceramic pans I am a huge fan of. No oil needed! Because the ‘shrooms came sliced, again, big time saver. I added some low-sodium tamari (which is gluten-free), a smidge of raw coconut nectar to add a touch of sweetness to my Asian-flared creation, some cayenne pepper, and fresh lemon juice (forgot to add to pic!). Next, i tossed in the brown rice, and stirred for a few minutes, then added the basil last and stirred that for a few minutes.

After the mushrooms were cooked through and everything smelled yummy, I tossed it into the salad and served it right away. If you are really hungry, you can still eat a bunch of the raw salad component first, but be more heavy in your dosage of ‘shrooms and brown rice. And vice versa if not so hungry. Brown rice is gluten-free, digests easily, low in fat and energizing. Add more shrooms for extra protein, if you like.

Give it a try! You never know when your Thai takeout can inspire a delicious, healthy and winter-friendly, warm/raw veggie meal.

Salad Ingredients:

8oz mushrooms
1.5 cup brown rice
1 bunch basil
1T nutritional yeast

Dressing:

1T low-sodium tamari
About 1.5 T lemon juice
.5 T raw coconut nectar
Sprinkle of cayenne (or more if you like it hot!)

Travel Log: My Food Loves and Non-Loves of the Cities I’ve Been to in the last 30 Days

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Hey Guys,

Hope you had a great weekend! I love this time of year. Sometimes the summer seems to fly by and I wonder where it all went, but this year is the opposite for me. So much has been jammed in for each day, and especially in the last 30 days, that I almost can’t believe it… This time 30 days ago I was at the Ann Wigmore Institute in Puerto Rico!! That seems like ages ago. Since then I’ve put down roots for the summer in Chicago to work as the nutritionist on some films, and I had a whirlwind film press tour to Europe. Yowzah!! I’ve been working to keep it all together- though I am reminded of my backpacking days when sometimes I wake up and have to think for a minute what country/city I am in!

I had a great weekend at Lalapalooza (through the movie we got all access backstage passes. More on that later! ) and went to the Cub’s game yesterday to hear Ron Howard lead the 7th inning stretch soon. Today I’ve had a second to sit down and actually write, which I haven’t been able to really do in well- the last 30 days! Again it seems more like 4 months! So here I am, trying to process my journeys of late, and especially my journeys with food. Below are my reflections on some of the places I’ve been to in the last month, and what I personally like and disliked the most about the food aspect of each place (in random order):

Chicago, IL:

Love: There are some vegetarian restaurants! I like the Karyn’s restaurants a lot- she has a raw café (good), a vegetarian café (my least favorite as much of the menu contains soy) and a fancier restaurant with raw and cooked vegetarian options (my fave). I also love that there is a Wholefoods on the block where I am staying- as I am in there once or twice every single day! The cherries I’ve been getting her rock my world! And I love how the produce and prices are cheaper than in New York.

Non-Love: I am grateful there is that Wholefoods, but I must say that it is lacking in lots of key ingredients I use. I have to go once or twice a week to the speciality health stores around the city to get things like buckwheat grouts, untoasted nori warppers, etc. I am spoiled by NY that so much is so readily available and easy to find. And help! I am being swallowed in by deep-dish pizza and sub joints!

Rincon, Puerto Rico:

Love: The fruit!!! The best are the avocados, papayas, pineapples and bananas. The fruit is fresh and juicy. And let’s not forget my fave!! The mighty, powerful young coconut! They seemed to drop down magically for me to eat and drink just when I’d want them.

Non-Love: If you don’t make your own food there, you’re kind of screwed. You can forget about easily finding lots of greens or salads that consist of more than a few sad strips of iceberg lettuce with a few tomato slivers. I’d have to order like 20 of them to make the size of a salad I usually eat at home. And vegetarian dishes- nada!! The rice and beans have chicken stock in them- and besides are too heavy to eat lots of anyways. You’d get fat if you ate all the traditional fried fare. I recommend getting a hotel room with a mini-fridge, and bringing a cutting board, Vitamix and a few spices. You can make Green Smoothie and salads with whatever greens you can scrounge up from at the grocery store!

London, England:

Love: Since London is of course the big city in England, I had easy access to fruit like apples and pears, and veggies like celery and romaine lettuce. The plums there are delicious! Lots of little produce markets around in case I needed a few emergency lemons or celery.

Non-Love: No kale! It was difficult to find a wide variety of greens, as I think a lot is imported into there. There are now Wholefoods in London. I didn’t go to any restaurants to eat on this trip (though I crashed some 5-star kitchens to make my own food for my people- what a crazy experience that was, with French chefs swearing and fire in pans and angry, frenetic clanking and craziness all around. I’m so happy I don’t eat in restaurants like that!), so I’m not sure what the vege scene is like nowadays!

Dublin, Ireland:

Love: Sorry my Irish loves, but I have to say this was a very hard city for me! There were uh, good sundried tomatoes I got my hands on though!

Non-Love: When we landed off the jet I requested 3 heads of romaine be put in my mini-fridge so I could make food immediately upon arrival. I knew I was in trouble when I arrive to find barely 3 leaves in my fridge. I couldn’t really find organic produce, and the range was very limited. It was also very expensive. It would be very expensive to live in Ireland and eat the enormous amounts of plants I usually eat!

Mallorca, Spain:

Love: The fresh black olives! They were beautiful and heavenly and I used them in some dishes while I was there. Great avocados also! All the produce I could get my hands on was fresh and I made lots of great salads and dishes right in my hotel room, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean! with a view like that, and surrounded in energy like that, how could the produce not taste amazing?

Non-Love: All the slabs of meat! They followed by everywhere- sliced up on plates at the hotel, on the yacht, even on the jet and in the airport. Very traditional I know- but they just looked really butchered and yucky and dead. The white fat spots in the slices of salami and cold cuts made me want to barf! Just not for me!

Madrid, Spain:

Love: The traditional gazpacho soup. Yummy!

Non-Love: The same slabs of meat I saw in Mallorca seemed to follow me to Madrid… like a bad dream!! And though it doesn’t have to do with food, I have to say that I give all types of bull-fighting a huge thumbs DOWN.

Notice how my own “home” city of New York is not on the list. Have not been home all month! (except for a few days between Puerto Rico and leaving for Chicago). My NY friends, say hi to it for me! I have a full week ahead back here in Chicago, so time to get reorganized so I can sleep a bit more this week (that would be nice!).

Lots of love!!!!! Have a wonderful week!!

Kimberly

Get it While You Can! Vitamix Special!

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Click on photo to order your Vitamix and save an additional $25.00

Hi Loves, I got an email about this and couldn’t resist throwing up a quick blog about it. The Vitamix is my heart in the kitchen- and as you know, is the only piece of kitchen equipment I literally carry around the world with me. It will change your life, your health, your beauty.

For a limited time, Vitamix is running a special on the Vitamix 5200, selling the factory reconditioned machines for $379.00. These guys only come on special every so often and they usually go fast and sell out! So if you’ve been really wanting one but have been hedging, now is the time!

If you click on the photo above, you’ll receive free standard shipping which is worth $25US/$35CN.

My schedule hasn’t slowed down any since I’ve gotten back! I’m being very organized (okay trying!) with the constant soaking and sprouting of various seeds and nuts- based on certain recipes I’m making the next day or in a few days.

What’s my favorite kitchen ingredient right now? Sundried tomatoes! I throw them in sauces, salads, dressings, as garnishes, etc. They taste like sun in a bite to me.

Well I’ll write more soon! Check out the Vitamix sale if you haven’t gotten one yet- you won’t regret. And have a wonderful and inspirational week!!

All my love,

Kimberly

Finding Food, Making Food on the Go(!) Across Europe!

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Hi Guys!

I hope you had a wonderful week last week!

I had an unbelievable time in Europe working on a whirlwind press tour for a film. We were moving so fast, that when we got to a city I had to really hit the ground running. I called ahead to request certain food be sitting in my minibar in each of the hotels, but there was always shopping I had to do, and things I had to source on the go. It was incredibly stressful at times, and I slept about 2 hours a night- but what an experience!! So fun!! And crazy.

Here’s my mini bar in London. If I had 10 minibars, I’m sure I would have filled them all! I wondered if any of these 5 star hotels ever had as much food made in them?! Btw we flew on a commercial jet First Class to London, and I made food right there in my seat on the way as well!

Here’s my room in Dublin. The table where I would chop and assemble things, and desk area was Vitamix central!

Taken from my hotel window in Dublin…There was always a fleet of black cars taking us around from place to place!

The Dublin premiere was insane. Hundreds and hundreds of people were lined up in the streets! I had to walk the red carpet myself as I got out of the car and went up ahead, and I have to say that I’ve never had an experience like that with so many people screaming behind a fence, while you are in a little clear passageway. I’ve been to lots of premieres in LA and NY- but none like this one!

On and off the private jet! No need to go through customs! What I really liked was that our bags were labeled and picked up in our rooms, and then delivered to the next hotel room seamlessly! I know they are not great for the environment, but it certainly wasn’t my call! And I don’t see how we would have been able to move around to so many different press events so quickly if not for flying on our own time.

This is my view from my hotel room on the beautiful island of Mallorca, Spain. Gorgeous!!! I’ve been to Spain, but Mallorca is definitely my favorite spot in the country! Also, you do get a bit spoiled traveling like this .

Below is where the party and the press line were later on that night…

Over to the right is the little boat that took us out to the yacht in the distance… It was beyond magical to be in the Mediterranean on a yacht, surrounded by beautiful Spanish people. I love everything about Spain- the energy, the culture, their look. Well, everything but their cuts and slabs of red meat that are so prevalent! I did bring food on the yacht by the way!

This table became my main food-making station in my room in Mallorca.

Or on the floor! One of my biggest issues was getting the converters to work so I could use the Vitamix in all the countries… Okay after this I stopped taking a lot of pics.

Anyways I am now back in Chicago for a few more weeks working on the movies. Promise to get back to some real nutrition, beauty and health posts soon!

Oddly energized, even with so very little sleep…and of course Lots of love, Kimberly

The Enormous Difference Between Raw Foods and Living Foods

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Hi Guys!

I hope you are having a great, post-holiday week. I hear it is really hot in NY, so if you are in a hot city hope you are drinking lots of room-temperature water to hydrate!

I’m here having a fabulous time at the Ann Wigmore Institute. There is so much to talk about, I had to divide this original blog up into 3 or 4 posts. But I thought I would start with a topic that has really been on my mind lately, and is emphasized so much here at the Ann Wigmore Institute.

Dr. Ann Wigmore was a true pioneer and her legacy has changed nutrition and the health movement forever. Before she passed away in 1994 (from a fire by the way, not old age), she already wrote extensively on the difference between just eating raw food and actually eating in a superior and nourishing way, which she termed Living Foods. Even back then, in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s, the raw food movement was around. Dr. Wigmore observed that many people on a raw food diet, but not a Living Foods diet, had acidic bodies, were deficient in certain important minerals and compounds, had weight and skin problems (like acne) and were certainly toxic. I think if she saw aspects of the raw food movement today she would be horrified!!!! So why is it that if someone is eating “all raw” they can still be so incredibly unhealthy?? There are lots of reasons, but I’ll list a few here:

Living foods are made up of whole, organic plant foods, with an emphasis on greens, sprouts, fresh fruit, and some nuts and seeds. Today the misconception is that “anything goes” as long as it is raw. So what does that mean? People LOAD up on extremely heavy dehydrated foods, tons of oil, cacao, agave, too much sea salt, “superfoods,” way too many (unsprouted) nuts and the like. The emphasis on the simplicity of nature, and greens, has been diminished!

Dr. Wigmore said the most important part of eating Living Foods was eating some blended foods, so you would get the every important benefits of the foods without having to work to digest them, and you would retain the fiber in the food to help create bulk in the colon to sweep out toxicity. This is what the Glowing Green Smoothie is based on loves!! There is a science to it!! If you juice, you remove all the dietary fiber. There are benefits to that as well- but know that you are not getting blended food.

Even if we ate salads all day, most of us don’t chew well enough to get the volume of nutrients in that we would get from some blended foods. BTW, we have some chewing classing here, and it really is amazing how much we need to chew to get the nutrition out!! I was shocked! I thought I was a slow eater, but now that I am conscious, I am a slow eater times 10! It can take me 45 minutes to finish a bowl of Energy Soup.

3. Living foods emphasize digestion, so contain lots of easily digestible fermented foods, such as Rejuvelac and raw sauerkraut, and you MUST soak and sprout your seeds and nuts! Dr. Wigmore believed the reason so many raw foodists have acidic bodies is they are eating the nuts and seeds without preparing them properly to remove the inhibitor enzymes, which keeps the nutrition dormant in the human body, and makes them acid-forming and mucus-forming.

4. Agave is a HUGE no-no. I know, it sucks because it is so easy to use and makes things so damn tasty! I used to use it and promote it! But the truth is that anything that is too easy and too good to be true like that…usually is. If you look at it closely, you may wonder how it arrived as a syrup that way. Maybe you’ve noticed that I have been saying little quips against agave here and there for the last year or so. I’ve also tried to remove it from as many places in this blog as I could find.

I used to think it was okay- after all the whole raw food world seems to think it is okay! It’s low glycemic, isn’t it? It’s from a plant, isn’t it? It is used without limit in many instances in the raw food world. I’m going to do a whole post on this soon. But the truth is that agave is almost pure fructose, and fructose makes you fat and destroys the collagen in the skin. I think that is one reason why raw foodists that eat it every day gain weight.

I used to promote it too! So don’t feel bad because I don’t. I didn’t fully realize back then how bad it was- but I know now! There is such great marketing attached to it. And I am not being judgmental. When you know better you do better. And I am sharing this with you because I highly recommend for you to cut it out of your diet 100%, the way I have. You have to be careful, because unfortunately now it is in everything from energy bars to raw granola. Read the labels and avoid, avoid, avoid!! I will write extensively on this topic in another post. Stay tuned folks!

5. Living Foods do not contain a lot of dehydrated foods. This is sort of related to #1. Dehydrated foods are considered transitional foods for those weaning off of cooked food. Dehydrated foods are concentrated with no water, and very dense. They can be very constipating, and do not promote cleansing and lightness! Dehydrated hemp burgers, too many flax crackers…

I think people rely way too much on dehydrated foods. I make them for dinner parties and when I’m making food for those that eat meat and cooked food, to show them raw food can taste really good. But as you elevate the level of health and wellness, the dehydrated food becomes a tiny fraction of the diet. Dr. Wigmore said dehydrated food should be used very sparingly, like for special occasions or a little bit here and there. Like I was saying in #1!

6. Okay, so sorry to keep harping in on #1! But we can’t rely too much on cacao or oil to make things taste good. Our taste buds are getting used to too much stimulation, and then we aren’t satisfied anymore with a plain salad or a Glowing Green Smoothie. We don’t need all that stuff all the time- keep it simple.

Alright, that is my manifesto for tonight! My brain is bursting with so much to say but I have to say nighty now. The internet is slow and it took me forever to get the post up. But a small price to pay! I LOVE the island life and the lack of technology, TVs, air conditioning (at least here!), etc. and wearing flip flops all day and jumping in and out of the ocean 3 or 4 times a day between classes!

I’ll write more soon!

I wrote this post not to burst your bubble, but because I love you and want you to feel your best and reach the highest level of health that you can reach!

Love, Kimberly

Video: What’s in my fridge this time of year?

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The answer would be a lot of greens! Which I think are beautiful!

Sorry I’ve been slow answering all the blog questions and emails as I’ve been swamped, but my schedule will lighten up in about 2 weeks. By the way, do you like it when I post blog videos?

LOVE! Kimberly

A Dozen Ways on How to Eat Beautifying Food on Budget!

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Hi Guys!

Finally, I have made it to this topic! So many of you have written me requesting it, and here it is.

I know, I know- it may seem that eating healthily is hugely expensive and that you can’t really afford it, but rest assured that that is not really true! It doesn’t have to be. Check out some of these tips that may help you along your path, ensuring that you can eat well, and maybe still even have money afterwards to get those hot new sandals you want for summer or save up for a beach trip somewhere!

1. Put your money into your food, not your beverages. We want to eat, not drink our way to beauty. If push comes to shove, you really and truly could get by on fresh water with lemon squeezed in. Expensive beverages like bottled Kombucha, or even coconut water, are far down on the list of priorities if we are in a bind. They are like the icing on the cake, but remember that the “cake” or as it holds here, our beauty, is built from organic greens, vegetables and fruits.

2. Along those lines, nix that bottled water! What a waste of money it is to buy bottled water day in and day out. And (and!) bottled water 1) Is often just tap water that has been filtered, see my blog on water HERE and 2) All the plastic bottles add to so much waste on the planet, and energy even if it gets recycled! Get yourself a nice water filter and use your stainless steel reusable bottle. I still use the nice blue one I got from the movie Hall Pass!

3. Buy spices, nuts and condiments in bulk. That is clearly the way to go! There are so many websites on line that you can source them from. If I had to spend $6 for every tiny little cayenne pepper container or coriander container, I would be broke. Now I buy them by the pound or half pound since I use them so much!

4. ALWAYS support your local farmer friends! Oftentimes they are not labeled as organic, but they still use organic farming practices. It can cost them a lot of moola to get an organic certificate, so they might not always have the certificate or paperwork done. But often they aren’t using scary chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides, and are rotating crops. Not mass production! When possible, I always love to meet the people that are growing my food.

5. Buy or grow your own sprouts. Sprouts are pretty cheap, and they are a really abundant source of beauty enzymes and minerals. Rare is the salad I eat without some sprouts thrown in there. For my ambitious, green-thumbed friends, you can get a jar with some holes on top, or buy one of those sprout kits and grown your own! That would make the cost of your enzyme-filled treat a few cents a day!

6. You can actually get some organic, bulk food at Costco. Yes Costco! Check out their bagged organic baby spinach and their organic 5 pound bags of carrots. Great for families that really plow through huge amounts of produce.

7. When push comes to shove, stick to the most important foods to buy organic. They include (but are not limited to): celery, strawberries, bell peppers, pears, apples, spinach, apricots and tomatoes. Some that are not as important (they don’t attract as many bugs, don’t require as many fertilizers, etc.) include avocados, sweet potatoes, onions. Of course if we had unlimited funds we would but all organic…but sometimes choices are necessary. You can soak your inorganic vegetables in a diluted raw apple cider vinegar soak or some grapefruit seed extract. It won’t increase mineral content, but it will at least help remove some of the creepy chemicals! For more info on this see my feature in Life & Style HERE.

8. Join a food co-op, where you would work a certain amount of hours each month in exchange for really cheaply priced bulk foods and produce. In NYC there is a good one in the East Village, some in Brooklyn, and all around, really.

9. Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. How does it work? You buy into a certain amount of “shares” of a local farm, and every week you get a box of vegetables or produce that is in season at the time, at a set pick up/drop off location that that farm establishes. It is a wonderful way to get a ton of organic produce at a great price. I would totally do it but I travel so much I would miss most of the drop-offs! Highly recommended though, and it helps out our friends the local farmers, who we must all support as much as possible in this increasingly commercial, genetically modified world.

Here is a great website to find a CSA near you! www.localharvest.org/csa/

10. Bring your lunch…or at least part of your lunch!! Check out the blog HERE I wrote on great lunch ideas, complete with a link to some beautiful lunch bags my friend Isolde makes. They are great. I have the blue and grey bag.

11. Skip all that dehydrated, expensive raw food. That is what makes food shopping expensive! You don’t really need it. Make your own smoothies, your own salads, your own simple nut pates or dishes. Those foods are really dense anyways. I don’t buy them myself!

12. Plan ahead so you don’t get stuck having to eat out or buy expensive food. I always try to keep something in my purse- like my chlorella tablets (more info HERE) or an apple or something so I don’t have to buy a $12 pre-made salad at Au Bon Pain (sorry, but it is mostly barf food anyway ). Also plan to meet your friends for tea, instead of going to spend $30 for a salad and some veggie sides you could easily make yourself for $7 at home. Allocate your funds wisely!

I think I’ll stop here because 12 is a good number.

Happy eating well, and without breaking the bank!

Lots of love, Kimberly

Update: Lessons on Body Image from High Schoolers

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Hi Guys! So back in February I got this sweet email from a 17-year old boy about girl issues and a girl he liked being offended when he said she looked “healthy.” Here’s the original post. I posted the initial back and forth, and over the last few months we’ve exchanged a few emails. Heck, I remember being 17, and being really self conscious and not really knowing who I was!! I would hide under ugly turtlenecks and baggy shorts and hated that my hair wasn’t straight!

BUT- happy ending!!! Last night I got a sweet email from the GIRL!! Their names are changed and I got their enthusiastic permission to retell their story of teenage love (ahhhhhhh, 16 Candles anyone??).

(Here’s the emails from Feb).

Dear Kimberly,

My name is Kyle and I’m 17 years old. I know this might not be your particular area of expertise, but since you deal with beauty and self-image issues I thought you might have some good insight on an experience I recently had. It involved a girl I had just met at a dance. We talked for a good half hour and seemed to be hitting it off. She was very pretty, smart and nice. We even exchanged email addresses. I was so excited!

Then, things suddenly went downhill. I commented that she had a “really nice, hourglass figure”. I thought she would take it as a compliment but instead she became deeply offended. I went into damage control mode and tried to clarify my comments but I think I only made things worse when I used the term “healthy”. With a look of complete disgust, WHAP!, she slapped my face and departed.

As I was standing there alone rubbing my cheek, with my friends nearby laughing at me, I was wondering why she was so offended. She had a classic hourglass figure – very busty, narrow waist, shapely hips/legs. I guess she had interpreted “hourglass” as meaning big/overweight/full figured. Why can’t girls embrace their curves?

Btw, I do have her email address. Do you think I should her an apology note or should I interpret the slap in the face as another way of saying she does not want to see me again?

–kyle

HERE’S MY REPLY BACK TO HIM:

Hi Kyle!

I usually take up to a few weeks to answer someone back, when I get swamped, but your email was to sweet and sincere to put off!

You are a fantastic writer and you should pursue something that involves writing as you go to college and eventually choose your career. I am impressed. Teenagers can have a very hard time expressing themselves adequately in words. You are lucky because you can do that through your writing, which not everyone can.

For this reason, I would highly recommend emailing her, and explain what you were really trying to communicate. Use the words “beautiful” and “attractive.” I am personally trying to change womens’ interpretations to view the word “healthy” is actually the body adjective we should strive for. Unfortunately, it does get interpreted differently. A girl that is even slightly self-conscious of her body, which is pretty much every teenage girl, and most women in the world (!), will interpret someone saying she is “healthy” as a nice way of saying fat.

Every girl wants to feel beautiful and attractive. So also tell her that you wouldn’t think she would be any more attractive if she was stick-skinny, and the reason you said she was “healthy” was because healthy is synonymous with “beautiful.” I think the world would be a much better place if women knew that guys like you thought that healthy was much more attractive, and if women thought the world “healthy” was a huge compliment. We do not all have to fit into one stereotype. It starts even earlier than 17, but especially at your age, if girls embraced their bodies it would save so much wasted energy and heartache down the road.

Keep in touch, and let me know it goes with your lady!
All my very best, Kimberly

FROM LAST NIGHT

Hi Kim. This is Adriana, the girl that Kyle met at the dance a while back. I don’t know how to thank you for giving him advice. It turns out that he’s a really sweet guy and we have a great relationship. Lots of guys my age are jerks and I guess I assumed the worst about him when he made the “hourglass” comment. I’m happy with my body shape but it’s really frustrating to be judged for your bra size and not your brains. I do remember that he looked ashamed rather than angry after I slapped him and I was hoping I was wrong about him. I was thrilled when I saw and read his email!

We’re having a great time and can now laugh about the first time we met. Kyle is great guy and a true gentleman. He’s also really tall too, at 6’6″, and I’m a short girl at 5’2″. I really had to reach in order to connect with that slap, lol. But I also assured him that I would never slap his handsome face ever again and planted a big kiss on his cheek

Without your help, this might not have happened so you should feel great!

Adriana

Sooooooooooo sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!! Who doesn’t love a happy ending?!! The heart of it was that he thought she was beautiful and great all along, but we girls are really the complicated ones with body image and words, and boys mean well, but can sometimes be boneheads when it comes to the right words and communication. Glad it all worked out. The young uns’ are happy!! Yay!!

Alright, back to work now!

Oodles and oodles of love to you.

Kimberly

Sweet Walnut Chutney

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One of my favorite cuisines in the world is Indian food. Unfortunately, not much Indian food is raw, so it is not something I get to eat very much… Occasionally if I eat it I’ll get yellow dahl with rice or some vegetable curry. Too bad the korma and masala sauces have cream! I won’t eat those dishes.

However, there are some great raw substitutes for some Indian Flava with a capital F! One thing I used to love is chutney. I just think it is a nice accompaniment to have at dinner. Here is a recipe for a raw version of chutney. My camera “yellowed” out and I took an extremely ugly picture of it as I made it tonight (top picture). Sorry guys! I definitely am by no means a photographer. I can’t figure out why it does that sometimes.

But to give you an idea of more of what it should look like (though this recipe will come out a lighter tan color), I posted the second picture, which isn’t this recipe! I just wanted to not have my ugly picture up there all by its lonely self. Who would want to try the recipe then?? But I assure you if you like a little sweet condiment with dinner, or with a green salad, it has quite an interesting, yummy taste.

Sweet Walnut Chutney

1 cup chopped organic raw walnuts
1 Tbs. raw organic honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. turmeric
4 Tbs. pure filtered water

Blend the water, honey, cinnamon and turmeric until smooth. Then throw the walnuts in and blend again, but leave it a bit chunky so don’t blend too much. I like to stick it in the oven (without turning it on) for an hour or so before dinner so it gets a little warm, like how I like it. This makes just over 1 cup. Just like regular chutney, eat as a condiment in small quantities, like 1-2 Tbs.

Turmeric is an amazing antioxidant and beauty food. It helps cleanse our systems and is great for the skin.

The Rainbow of Health Foods

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Hey Guys!

I am officially back in New York, and I am SLAMMED with work. Good thing chlorophyll keeps me grounded! Are you having a good week so far?

Driving back up the coast to New York from South Carolina I was really inspired by colors. There was a huge rainstorm that passed in and out, but then it would get very sunny and light up all these beautiful flowers and green trees. I love color! If you peeked into my closet you would see an abundance of brightly colored pieces- though of course, I have my share of black too! (I do live in Manhattan after all ). I wrote another piece on color a while back- check it out HERE.

As color applies to food, when our food is naturally colorful the greater the abundance of antioxidants, life force, minerals and vitamins. Have you ever noticed how so much processed food, such as french fries, turkey sandwiches, chicken burritos and the like are ugly tan and pasty brown colors?? Or maybe artificial neon colors are more disarming- like the bright red of the processed, canned tomato sauce on a slice of Pizza Hut pizza or the more orange than orange Dorrito. Either way- it certainly is scary!!

Here are some examples of our true Rainbow of Health Foods:

RED: Contains Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant