Monthly Archives: December 2017

Word Of The Year: Change

It's the beginning of a new year. As in years past, this shift in the calendar brings up an exercise that I've been doing for several years now. I choose one word to be my word of the year.

What's in a Word?

In previous years I've chosen the words Inspire, Focus, Mindfulness, and Balance. As I've mentioned before, it's not an easy task to take all of your aspirations and goals for an entire year and condense it down into one word. As I go through the process of choosing my word I find that I go through different words. Testing each one to see how it feels and whether I think it's one that can last me for the entire year. 

This is more than just a word. It's my focus for the year. At regular points throughout the year I check-in with myself to see how I'm doing and if what I'm doing is on-track with my intentions for the word I've chosen. The more years I do this the more I realize that there's a bit of a challenge involved.  This year I was tempted to choose a word that I had chosen before. It felt comfortable and, if the truth be told, simpler. But when I sat with the word and really thought about it I realized that I didn't want simple. I wanted the word to represent growth and to be the basis of making a difference.

This Year's Word

The word that I've chosen this year is Change. It feel like a pretty powerful one.

According to the dictionary definition:

change
[cheynj]
verb (used with object)changed, changing.
1. to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something)different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion; to change the course of history.
2.to transform or convert (usually followed by into)
3.to substitute another or others for; exchange for something else, usually of the same kind

Why Change?

So why did I choose this particular word? Well, when I stopped to think about it I realized that it really resonates with me on a number of different levels. The first being, admittedly, the impact on my life after Hurricane Harvey. This has brought about a rather large amount of change. From my housing situation to my office to choices in my daily life. A lot of things have changed. And this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. And it requires me being open to change on a lot of different levels. Something that most of us don't really like to do. I confess I'm no exception.

When I thought about it a little further I realized that I have a mission for change. My Big Hairy Audacious Goal is to support and educate others to make informed decisions about the food they buy so we can change the paradigm of food production in this country. Slowly but surely it's working. As more people learn about what's really in and on their food, they demand better. In turn, this can and has caused a change in the larger marketplace. We now have a number of major food producers meeting the demands of consumers; removing harmful ingredients and changing their manufacturing processes.

Thirdly, going deeper, I realized I am an agent of change. I am a holistic nutrition professional who helps people find food-based solutions to support chronic health issues. By supporting, mentoring, and encouraging others I give them the tools and information they need to make changes. This, in turn, can have a positive impact (a change) on their nutritional plan and their health. The change comes from within. From my clients and followers making conscious decisions and following through on them. It's powerful and rewarding stuff to see everything that they are doing and I am grateful to be a part of that.

So for better or worse, change is the word of the year. I'm excited to see what lies ahead. I hope you'll join me in chosing a word of your own to create a one word focus for the year.

 

Favorite Kitchen Tools

Good kitchen tools can help make cooking easy, delicious and fun. I've put together a list of a few of my favorites, the ones I find myself reaching for over and over again. Some are new discoveries and some are my dependable old friends.

 

CHEF'S KNIFE
Everyone needs a good chef’s knife. With an 8” blade and perfectly balanced, this is my favorite and I use it all the time. When I was displaced by Hurricane Harvey for a few months the one thing I missed the most was my knife.
Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife

FLEX EDGE BEATER
I love my mixer and all of the attachments that come with it. Especially this scraper mixer blade This is an amazing mixer because it makes short work of beating, mixing, and blending. I even use it to mix my meatloaf.
KitchenAid Flex Edge Beater

IMMERSION BLENDER
This is the handiest dandiest tool in my kitchen. Perfect for making mayonnaise, blending soups and sauces, making applesauce, I also use it for making a bulletproof style boosted tea.
All-Clad Stainless Steel Immersion Blender

CUISINART
My mother bought me one years ago and I remember thinking “What the heck am I going to do with it?” Now I don’t know how I’d live without it. I use it to chop everything, including making chopped salads in the summer.
Cuisinart 14-Cup Food Processor

JULIENNE BLADE
Perfect for making julienned vegetables and especially for ‘zoodling’ zucchini, butternut squash. I’ve even used it to julienne apples for a shredded apple dessert.
OXO Good Grips Julienne Peeler

ECO-FRIENDLY FOOD STORAGE
I'm a big supporter of the movement to reduce plastic, especially one-time use plastic. I do my best to use eco-friendly products. In my kitchen, I’ve moved away from plastic wrap to Bee's Wrap for food storage. Made of organic cotton, naturally antibacterial sustainably harvested beeswax, and organic jojoba oil that help keep food fresh. Each cloth is washable, reusable and compostable. Even their product packaging is sustainable, made from 100% recycled paper and biodegradable cellulose.
Bee's Wrap 3-Piece Sustainable Reusable Food Storage

VITAMIX
I Iove my Vitamix. It was an investment for sure, but there's good reason that foodies, home chefs and restaurant kitchens around the world are loyal to Vitamix. Mine gets used almost every day. Sure, it’s perfect for making smoothies, but it’s also great for blending NiceCream (“ice cream” made from frozen banana), homemade almond milk, coconut whipped cream, soup, and more.
Vitamix 7500

INSTANT POT
I’ve had my Instant Pot for less than a year now, and I really can't remember what I did without it! It is my absolute favorite tool in the kitchen. Pressure cooking made easy-as-pie (hmmm… pie. I haven't tried making a pie in my pot yet…)  The ease alone would be enough but Instant Pot takes it even further – a slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, warmer and sauté pot, and that's just the 6-in-1 model.  The 7-in-1  also makes yogurt, and the 9-in-1  cooks eggs, sterilizes, makes yogurt AND cake. All this multi-tasking, no hogging my kitchen counter space – it's a keeper. So I've given my Instant Pot it's very own drawer, to store all its handy accessories.  I have so many favorites I've made a favorites list for Instant Pot Tools too. You can read that list here.
Instant Pot

LE CREUSET PAN
I adore my Le Creuset pan. It’s cast iron and enameled. From eggs for breakfast to sautéing veggies for dinner, this pan practically lives on my stovetop because we use it so much.
Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet, 9-Inch

MANDOLIN SLICER
Fabulous for slicing things at any time of year it’s great for salads, frying, canning, and makes quick work of different cuts for a wide variety of foods
Mueller Austria V-Pro 5 Blade Adjustable Mandolin

SHAMELESS PLUG
If you’re giving gifts for the kitchen this holiday season why not share a copy of my book The Pantry Principle: how to read the label and understand what’s really in your food? This is a fabulous resource to help you learn more about your food, so you can make healthy choices. Available in Kindle or paperback, it’s an essential guide for anyone who eats, in other words, it's an essential guide for everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

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