RACHAEL RAY

Here are some answers to some questions I was asked about this last month…

1. joyce robinson Says:
   April 17th, 2008 at 2:55 pm   editHi, I am very interested in your concepts and recipes. I am trying to eat flourless and sugarless, not always successful. I have dropped I think 5-6lbs and just am trying to eat more greens and no flour etc. I would love to see some of your recipes. Please let me know when your website will include them.

   Warmly,
   joyce

Green sauce will be in my new book, which is out in early ‘09 called Green kitchen cookbook or you can find it here from when I was on a show with Rachael Ray called the INSIDE DISH…

1. lisa Says:
   April 23rd, 2008 at 9:27 am   editHow can we purchase Blisscuits™ ?

The cookies called BLISSCUITS will be in the market place early ‘09 along with the launch of my cookbook. And my cookbook is going to have easy and doable and delicious recipes. NOTHING complicated because I am not a chef… I am merely a cook who loves to make good easy food and I too don’t like to take a lot of time doing it.

1. Cindy Golden Says:
   May 23rd, 2008 at 11:10 am   editMariel,
   What a lovely website! Your ideas about living a more natural and real lifestyle appeals to me on many levels. As a young grandmother, I have introduced my grandsons to homegrown basil, onions, garlic, sage, and a host of other flavors and aromas. They have well-developed palates and crave my homemade pesto and fresh spinach salads, proving that if you feed them well, they will succumb. I will be checking back to see what new ideas and inspiration your website presents. You have launched a very helpful, provocative site that I suspect will be a big hit. You go girl!

One of the most important things you can do for your kids and getting them to eat well is to eat well yourself. If you model the right behavior and habits then you are doing them a huge service plus don’t make the “bad food” available to them…make it a once a day treat if you absolutely must besides they get plenty of crap at school and friend’s home that is not good for them so I say eliminate the crap from your home. Eat the kind of food you want your kids to eat and they eventually have no choice and begin to have a taste for good food. Look they are kids they will eat junk just do what you can to limit it in their home environment. Make junk something you do once in a while…like only lucky charms with cartoons on a Saturday morning…WOW LUCKY CHARMS I even ate those but my favorite was Captain Crunch but I could only eat it one a month because it was too sweet but I had to have my fix of being a regular kid…it just doesn’t have to be the norm. I think the issue of food and children is so critical in this country and the more attention you pay to modeling and training kids to eat real food the better off they will be in the future the amount of diabetes in the US is getting our of control and kids are no stranger to that either…in fact childhood diabetes is still on a serious climb. We as adults must make the education of food a priority for their lives by making it a priority for our own.

Responses to other questions Mariel often is asked:

About fruit…fruit is sugar in the system so unless you are not over weight and you exercise a lot see fruit as sugar and eat in moderation it is good for you because of it’s fiber content but fruit is sugar like table sugar is sugar and even carbs…so see it at a splurge if sugar is an issue in your diet. Also Juice is sugar, as my partner Dr. Ron Rosedale says if you juice throw out the juice and eat the fiber that comes out of the back end of your juicer as It is better for you the juice is the extraction of sugar from the fruit. Drink juice sparingly. I personally see juice as a waste I like eating to much chewing and tasting are so much easier when you incorporate the whole fruit. Also in regard to Sultanas or raisins they are a dried fruit while again is high in sugar so use moderately. I like them in sauces or salads as a splash of flavor not as a full snack.

Peanut butter is not the best there is a chemical in peanuts that can be toxic for some people so again I say if you love peanut butter eat it raw and organic and sparingly. And please be careful about eating airplane peanuts from bags or even the HOT ones they give out in first class they are filled with bad oil, too much salt and oftentimes there is MSG on them…not a good choice for flying and bloating YIKES.

The spice rack in my book, which was in my home was built into the kitchen I am in a new house now and I miss that very much.

If you are coming to LA this summer and want to do yoga in Hollywood I would go to City Yoga or Yoga works in Larchmont both are excellent places to practice yoga.

My blender is called a VITAMIX…www.vitamix.com
Finally ON FAITH…I believe in faith I believe that one must have faith to journey through our lives and try to find out who we are on a deep level. Sometimes as we try to be more conscious in our lives faith is what gets us to the next level…meaning that if we are growing spiritually and we don’t actually know what is ahead of us, we can make a schedule of events to follow but to truly grow on your path faith is the key. You don’t know what is ahead only God knows that. You are guided by the Divine and faith is the only way to get through the unknown waters of your life. Faith gives you stability when you are confused, scared, worn out or impatient. I feel it is important to have faith when you try a new routine whether it be in the food you eat or in your relationships or even your exercise routine, having faith that what you are doing right now is serving you somehow and that the bigger picture of how it serves you is soon to be revealed, that is how faith plays a role.

Check out Mariel’s website at Mariel’s Kitchen 

Happy Summer almost…I love this time of year and the way your body feels in the cool early mornings that are bordering on a scorching sun…you just feel like moving and being outside, being active, showing your skin and being joyful like a child. I think, like everyone, I attribute summer with playfulness. I think that is what we need to try to find this summer; our inner playfulness. As the season gets into full swing how can we all have a better time being ourselves?  By connecting to what we eat, to how we move and how we find ritual in our lives. All of us need to remember to slow down a bit and set the stage for mischief and fun, like when we were kids. We used to fall into bed after we exhausted our bodies after a playful day, it feels like we need to find that part of ourselves again. Now I realize that most of us are working or parenting or doing something responsible and adult during the day and that the flighty ways of a kid on his or her bike is not what our lives are orchestrated for (even if it is summer time), but who says we can’t take a little time to have fun.

For me I know that I am going to get up extra early now that the sun is hot and hike with my dogs while it is still a bit cool and then after that I’ll spend a few hours working at my home office then ride my bike to the local farmers’ market or run an errand in my neighborhood by foot.  I’ll work some more, then I am going to take time to set a place mat wherever I am, be it my home office or film set, and eat my lunch slowly. I am going to dine outside as much as possible this summer because there is nothing that says summer more than being out of doors. I have been recently taking a packed lunch in a reusable box with reusable containers to a park close to my house and I sit at a picnic table often by myself with my little lunch set out for me while I listen to birds or watch people pass by on their way to and from work, or dog walkers and consequent runners dodging poop on their noon day runs.

I smile as I watch them focused in their private worlds and I savor what I am eating… I have an avocado sandwich, so simple, made on a no-grain bread by a company called Julian’s and my handful of raw nuts and seeds that I sprinkle with cinnamon and a little stevia by Sweet Leaf…and a sliced up cucumber as it is so great for hot weather and dehydration.  I drink a bottle of water out of a metal container, (I don’t drink out of plastic anymore or at least as little as possible) and the simplicity of it is just right. This sounds like it takes a lot of time but I assure you that it doesn’t. It takes 45 minutes max and I can do it in 30 minutes too. I recommend that you don’t eat lunch in less than 30 minutes because it’s simply not good for you. This kind of time is so simple and it’s for me. It gives me a sense of peace and harmony that my life is not really designed to have but I MAKE IT HAPPEN anyway.  I go against the grain and make sure that I come first in my life just by doing something that makes me smile like a solo picnic or an evening stroll during these super long light filled days. I don’t need entertainment or music I just need me, a great little meal whether a sandwich or a plain avocado and an apple just something that says I care about what goes in and I care that it is ingested in a setting that is nurturing to me. That is what makes my summer fun, like when I was a kid…I don’t have all day to play, but it’s the moments I take for myself to  jaunt around the block or to go outside and sit up against a tree trunk and look up at the blue sky, creating pictures in the cloud formations that makes me happy. I always make a point of smelling the flowers in my neighborhood or if no flowers I’ll take a leaf of a tree and roll it around in my hand till I can smell something spicy and unique about it. I love nature and although I can’t be in Idaho where I grew up  and must bear the city, I find where the city serves my need for nature and I meet myself there. I know how to make the simplest things a joy for me to do and to see it through the light of when I was a kid and there is nothing more rewarding than that.

See what you can do this summer to take a moment to yourself and enjoy the world of nature around you.

I have such exciting news FINALLY after a few years of having a dream and a lot of ideas…I have put together a team of amazing people and we have created a company called Mariel’s Kitchen. It is based on the concepts in my book Healthy Living from the Inside Out. The official launch of Mariel’s Kitchen products will be in concert with the publication of my next book, which is a green kitchen cookbook. The concept behind Mariel’s Kitchen is to make REAL food that is wholesome and healthy, tasty and most importantly a short distance from nature. Our first product will be the beloved Blisscuit, my no sugar no flour NO CRAP organic cookie that is actually good for you. I have been developing many flavors of Blisscuits and dreaming up all kinds of REAL food products for my company. This is my task at hand and I love it!

I want to give people the opportunity to eat well in their regular daily lives. I feel we have gotten away from nature and the food that comes from nature has almost become non-existent because of the fast pace of our lives. We have forgotten where food actually comes from. We have become so reliant on speed and convenience that we have lost the fact that food is nurturing and that it is actually medicine for our bodies. Literally food can be your medicine and medicine can be your food all while you sit in the ritual of “breaking bread” so to speak with your friends and loved ones. (If that is the case the food we eat must be more pure or REAL as I like to call it). We NEED to return to this simpler way of living. It is actually a health choice, a life choice, and a spiritual choice if you will. I know from experience in my life that there is a joy that comes with the preparation and sharing of meals. Many say “oh I don’t have time for that” and I say that when you take time to do things for yourself at this simple and powerful level you create time. Believe it or not TAKING time actually gives you time so that you become aware of what you are doing. It helps you to become present. It seems counterintuitive but the fact is that when I take the time to make a meal for my family or even just for myself, I create a window of space in my life where I am healing. Healing while cooking or eating, you might ask?… I say yes…because when you sit and breathe when you eat or when you cook; chop grill, steam or set the table you are doing a nurturing and meditative act of creating sacred space in your home, in your food and in your body. This is a real thing. When my husband got cancer we made a pact as a family that we would no longer answer the phone during dinner and that TV was OFF and that we took “time” to all sit at a beautifully set table and that commitment brought and still brings peace into our lives. When we reintroduced DINNER TIME into our home my husband was healing because of the stress he refused to engage in those precious family minutes. The family was healing because we actually grew to know one another and finally all of our bodies were healing because what we ate was simple and easy to prepare REAL food. What is more amazing than that? NOT much if you ask me. We long for “things” in our life; that deal, that project, that dress or that car and yet we don’t value the “thing” that is already right here now and that is time. When you take the time that is already here that is a gift worth more than the things we long for that give us minuscule pleasure. If we could merely slow our lives down long enough to have a lovely meal we can choose peace and better health by that simple act alone. It enables us to be happier and more connected to the truth of ourselves by doing it. It seems simplistic and it is. The fact is that our health, our happiness and our peace are simple to achieve if we are willing to slow down and create some space for our lives to breathe. When we move too fast there is no space for our life to get recognized and therefore we find that we are not recognized even by ourselves.

We have lost track of the simplicity of eating from the earth. It doesn’t mean that one has to eat seeds and raw kale, it means that we understand that food is nature and sometimes it may be the only connection we have to nature. To get a sense of balance and ease in our lives, our connection to food is essential. That is why last month I wrote about going to the farmers’ market. It is incredibly joyful and when you buy your food from a place that is about connection to the earth the food nourishes you even more. With Mariel’s Kitchen, the products the books and the philosophy will create a sense of ritual and joy that I think has been lost with our food and meals today.

Please look on my new website Marielskitchen.com and check out what I am doing and love your REAL food and it will love you

One part of the journey of greening your kitchen starts with looking at what and where you buy your food…what kind of food comes into your home? Do you buy food for the pleasure it gives you or are you just trying to buy food for convenience? My personal mission is to become really aware of what I am buying and where it comes from…I was in the market yesterday and I realized that the blueberries I picked up were from CHILE. I love blueberries there are such a part of my life but should I buy them when they have traveled so far…I was really upset because I wanted them but because I am trying to buy local I reluctantly passed them by. Less carbon footprint that is what I am challenging myself to live by. I find it difficult in theory because I have yet to really start.

Today I decide to go to the farmers market. I am challenging myself to go to a local market to try to buy all my produce for the week, it seems a daunting job. I am irritated with the inconvenience of finding parking and needing cash and bags; the whole thing seems dreadful but I set out on my way regardless. I get there after circling the block a few times …hmm maybe I should try to ride my bike next time, but I’ll have to invest in some saddle bags.

Immediately I was amazed to find such a huge variety…there were all kinds of local apples, oranges (this is the end of winter so I am not expecting too much) and even some small local berries not to mention all the lettuce and greens of all types, some were new to the season but they were driven several miles not flown or shipped across continents. At first it was overwhelming where should I go first? What do I need and what is fresh and local that I am used to? Upon that thought I know I have to give up on what I usually buy and try to have a new perspective on what is there, what is new and what may be worth trying. So I scouted for several minutes trying to decide where to begin. I thought I love greens so I will start where the green produce is over flowing. Unfortunately the line is quite long and I thought that would really bug me, instead I found that I was over hearing conversations about what people were going to make with their finds of the day… I hear ”I think I’ll make butternut squash soup with these” and then I looked at one that was cut open and the color inside was a beautiful deep orange inside of a thick dark green rind and it looked like soup ready to be made so I too picked up a couple of them. I always like that kind of soup when someone else makes it but I rarely choose to make it myself…. In fact I have a great recipe of my mothers I can pull out and it’s easy. I forget that the truth is, soup is easy to make. One meal down…now what else is on that big table ahead of me? Huge colorful cauliflowers…in many shades…I am a cauliflower nut so I know that I will get those…I love to make mashed cauliflower, I replace mashed potatoes with them. These colors will be a joy to look at on the table. Purple, orange and white mash and so yummy…

This is going pretty well…when I finally make it to the head of the line I have several things besides squash and cauliflower, I have many beautiful organic zucchini that is far cheaper than what I would have gotten at my regular market. I love raw zucchini shredded in a salad and I especially love grilled zucchini…it barley needs a thing on it whether you make it in quarter shapes or the long lengthy strips they are delicious with a wash of herbs olive oil and garlic. Jeez one place and all this stuff already…that leads me down the street to the fruit stands and I pick up local pink lady apples, which I adore. They are so sweet and delicate in flavor so I buy 10…I know my family will enjoy them as much as I do. I get lemons they are not organic but at this particular fruit stand the farm they pick from uses no pesticides, they just don’t have their organic status yet so that is good enough for me. They have Meyer lemons and I love them. They are uniquely sweet yet lemony and they are great in so many things… marinades for fish or chicken or I even have a pasta dish that uses whole Meyer lemons and parmesan cheese as the sauce. Although I eat very little pasta this is a family favorite that we have to indulge in once and a while. I then pick up the berries I saw earlier, it is not quite berry season but I buy them anyway, got to feed my little addiction. They are small but so delicious as I nibble a few. This whole adventure has become a wonderful snack time, trying a slice of apple and section of orange or a handful of local dry roasted almonds.

I go to a flower stand & pick up a huge arrangement of hydrangeas and I find the man that is selling them to be a delightful. He loves his buds like no other. What an experience this is, this is personal and I am connecting with people who are not doing a job but sharing their passion for living. Almost everyone is a storyteller or a comedian, there is so much personality and heart everywhere. Some of the vendors just make me laugh while they share with me their favorite way to make eggplant or broccoli. I am given a deep tutorial on the benefits of sprouts and all that you can do with them and the many fantastic varieties. I have to say that I had no idea that there were so many unbelievable and varied sprouts …the young man and his girlfriend who sells them looked so happy as though sprouts gave them a reason for living. I couldn’t help but giggle at their enthusiasm and I had to admit to the silly joy the sprouts were giving me as well. This is fun…I feel connected to the food I am buying and feel very supported to enjoy myself completely. It really becomes more than just a trip to a market it becomes a way to feel at ease with how I live my life. I feel a relationship to the people I am buying from, the food is also an extension of their joy…I was going to spend 45 minutes and yet I leave an hour and a half later (I would have stayed longer but I hadn’t enough bags or hands to hold more). My huge bunch of sunflowers is all but falling to the ground…I laugh and many people are ready to help me to my car…I feel a bit embarrassed but see that others too are overloaded and acting silly.

What is wonderful is to become aware that when we become conscious of how we engage in the basics like gathering our food we become aware of ourselves at a deep level. Being green or eco conscious is about being present and real and connected to the earth we take our food from. When we have that connection the food we eat fills us with love and makes us environmental just by being aware of how we do something as simple as buy our produce. On a very basic note, just think how wonderful it could be to take your kids to the farmers’ market to try those slices of fresh fruit or veggies just because it’s fun. Our children are the future so for them to connect to what they are eating and to understand that food comes from the earth, a real farm, it ignites in them a passion for nature, They become the voice of real food that we are all trying to return to. And finally I’ll bet you didn’t even realize that you have a green market in your area that is ready for you to join, I am telling you, this experience, which will now become a regular event for me, has enriched my very existence and I am sure that it will do the same for you and your family.

Visit Mariel’s website at www.marielhemingway.com