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Practicing Working Clean: Organization
Stress is our body’s way of responding to demands or threats. It’s effects can be emotional (irritability, anger, depression), and physical (fatigue, headaches, high blood pressure). September and October are, shall we say, pretty demanding times in our company. It would be natural and “normal” for there to be some stress in the air. So, what to do about it? Sure to help is daily organization. Start with it, end with it, use it during the day to create purpose and focus for you and the people around you.
From Work Clean and Chef Dwayne LiPuma:
By being organized, you will be more efficient. By being more efficient, you will have more time in your day. By having more time in your day, you will be more relaxed…you will be able to accomplish the tasks at hand in a clear, concise, fluid motion.
Sweet Potato & Apple Soup
Serves 4
1 small onion, small dice
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 med carrot, small dice
1t chopped garlic
1T finely chopped or grated ginger
2c vegetable stock
½c dry white wine
2 granny smith apples, peeled, seeded, ½” dice
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, ½” dice
1 cinnamon stick
1 fresh bay leaf
½c unsweetened coconut milk
1. Sauté onions, celery & carrots over med heat 6-8 mins
2. Add garlic & ginger, cook 1 minute
3. Add stock, wine, apples, sweet potatoes, cinnamon & bay leaf
4. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer 10-12 mins, until potatoes are soft
5. Remove cinnamon stick & bay leaf
6. Pureé until smooth; season with sea salt & pepper, Add coconut milk or extra stock to desired consistency
Start cool, stay cool
As we go from zero (or slow-ish) to full speed ahead, everywhere (yay, back to school!), your time is at a premium and time management is critical. So, before you lose your cool (and who wants to spend time looking for that), here are some tips:
1. Preventative maintenance.
Fuel up with the right stuff. Eat a real breakfast…one with nutritional value. You’re in the food business, you KNOW what that looks like. Just do it.
2. Take 5.
Commit to taking mental breaks. Step outside, take three deep breaths, look at the horizon – the sky – anything growing from the earth, close your eyes, stretch, re-center. And then get back in there…they need your energy and your leadership!
3. Know your hot buttons and manage them.
What really sets you off? Guess what…it might happen today! What are you going to do when it does? Remember, you are in control of how you react. Spare yourself (and those around you) the stress and breathe through the things that push your buttons.
Deviled Egg Salad
Serves 6
15ea hard cooked eggs, peeled
6T good quality mayo
1T dijon
½t sea salt
¼t black pepper
splash tabasco
1. Chop egg (cheese grater, coarse slide, works great!)
2. Combine with remaining ingredients. Mix well. Keep chilled
3. Garnish with fresh parsely
Belgian Chocolate Greek Yogurt
Serves 6
⅓c cocoa powder
⅔c heavy cream
6oz 60% semi-sweet belgian chocolate chips
32oz plain greek yogurt
1. In saucepan, mix cream & cocoa; heat to a simmer
2. In a heatproof bowl, pour hot cream over chocolate chips, whisk until melted & smooth; cool 10 mins
3. Stir in yogurt in very small amts, blend well
4. Garnish with fresh mint
Bringing Awareness to Daily Eating: Benefits of Mindful Eating
I had the opportunity recently to attend a mindful eating retreat “After the First Bite” and was amazed at how much better I felt after three days of being aware and paying attention. When we are on “auto pilot”, we tend to act (eat) first and then become aware of what we have done (eaten) afterwards. Mindfulness of when, why and what we eat, how it tastes, where it comes from, and how we feel after we consumed it can help bring a natural and healthy change to this everyday process.
Here are just a few of the benefits:
- Helps Us Slow Down
One of the biggest issues in general is eating SO quickly. You can be out to dinner with someone and by the time you blink a few times the food on their plate is completely gone. Eating quickly is both bad for digestion and it’s also bad when it comes to controlling the quantity of food you’re eating. Practicing mindful eating can help you tune in and pay attention to the food you’re eating, which in turn can help slow you down. - Promotes Eating Less
Paying attention to the food you’re eating can not only help you enjoy it more, but because you’ve slowed down to tune into your food, it gives your brain and stomach more time to communicate and sense fullness, a process that takes about 15-20 minutes. - Can Boost Satisfaction
So after slowing down and eating less, what you’ll realize is that you actually have time to listen to what’s going on inside of you, and there is a greater chance that you’ll feel more satisfied. The entire process of tuning into what you’re eating in addition to how it looks and what it feels like, can help promote feeling satisfied, and for many, this is after eating much less food than they once did. - Helps to Better Nourish Your Body
Proper nourishment for our daily life is the main function of eating. Paying better attention to what you’re eating and planning ahead can be beneficial when it comes to providing more nutrients to your body, and usually when people start paying attention to what they’re eating, they also usually start to pay attention to providing better nutrition which is a major plus for the body.
Want to Learn More…
Poached Salmon Salad
Serves 6
1lb fresh salmon
½c ea white wine & water
few slices of onion & sprigs of parsley
1T butter
1c white wine vinegar
1T fresh lemon juice
½t lemon zest, grated
½t sea salt
½t white pepper
½c mayo
1T dill
4c mixed greens
1c cucumbers, seeded, half moon slices
½c tomatoes, diced
To Poach Salmon
1. Lightly salt salmon fillets
2. Combine water, wine, onion & parsley in shallow pan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat
3. Slide salmon pieces into poaching liquid and dot with butter
4. Bring to slow boil, reduce heat to medium, poach 10 to 15 mins
5. Chill & flake into large pieces
For Salad
1. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, zest, s&p; whisk in mayo & dill
2. Lay greens, cucumber, tomatoes & salmon; drizzle with dressing
Poached Salmon Salad
Serves 6
1lb fresh salmon
½c ea white wine & water
few slices of onion & sprigs of parsley
1T butter
1c white wine vinegar
1T fresh lemon juice
½t lemon zest, grated
½t sea salt
½t white pepper
½c mayo
1T dill
4c mixed greens
1c cucumbers, seeded, half moon slices
½c tomatoes, diced
To Poach Salmon
1. Lightly salt salmon fillets
2. Combine water, wine, onion & parsley in shallow pan. Bring to simmer over medium high heat
3. Slide salmon pieces into poaching liquid and dot with butter
4. Bring to slow boil, reduce heat to medium, poach 10 to 15 mins
5. Chill & flake into large pieces
For Salad
1. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, zest, s&p; whisk in mayo & dill
2. Lay greens, cucumber, tomatoes & salmon; drizzle with dressing
P Words
We have lots of them at MG: people, presentation, partner, process, policies, production…
But, today’s P-word…POSITIVE (let’s shout it out!)…comes from core value #5: Be kind, be positive, be gracious. (Tip for remembering it’s core value #5? Five and positive both have i-v-e in them)
One way that leaders (and all people!) can help themselves to see beyond the moment is to engage in positive thinking. This means that you believe that the best is going to happen in every situation, rather than the worst.
Positive thinking is not naivete; nor does it suggest that you keep your head in the sand and ignore life’s less pleasant situations. It simply expresses the belief that you will find a way forward in every situation in a manner that is most healthy and productive.
From Think Positive and Achieve.
The biggest threat to positive thinking is…fear. Get to know what you are afraid of and you can confront it. Confront it and you can overcome it…and find a way forward. A child is not afraid of the dark, they are afraid of what’s in it…
Summer Veggie & Couscous Salad
Serves 4
lemon vinaigrette
3T fresh lemon juice
¼c white balsamic vinegar
¾c olive oil
¼t salt
⅛t black pepper
salad
8oz Isareli couscous
¼c red onion, thinly sliced
1 med zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
1 small Japanese eggplant, cut in half lengthwise
½ea red & yellow pepper
¼c fresh mint chopped
¼c fresh basil chopped
1c feta cheese crumbled
1. Combine lemon juice, vinegar, s&p
2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking to blend
3. Cook couscous, drain, cool, drizzle with oil
4. Soak onion in cold water 1 min, drain
5. Brush zucchini, eggplant & peppers with oil; grill/broil 3-5 min per side
6. Cool veggies, cut ½” dice
7. Mix grilled veggies, onion, couscous & vinaigrette
8. Before serving add herbs & feta cheese; toss
