Battling the Blizzard Bloat Blues!
- At January 15, 2025
- By Katherine
- In Aging-In-Place, Articles, News, Recipes
0
These days you may have noticed a subtle expanding of yours and your friends’ waistlines. Take consolation in knowing you are not the only ones suffering from… “BLIZZARD BLOAT,” that creeping up of body fat that has hit many of us recently, according to an informal survey of frustrated, and slightly fatter colleagues and friends.
In the animal kingdom, fattening up for the cold winter months is critical for survival. For human animals, that leftover caveman-instinct to gorge on fattening foods, and hibernate, just causes trouble
Though these old instincts are plausible as a partial cause of winter weight gain, there are more complex—and controllable—causes too. The most important involve decreases in sunlight, physical activity, increases in cravings, and comfort eating. It’s the perfect storm of factors that create the calorie imbalance leading to blizzard bloat.
The Perfect Storm
- Physical Inactivity. When it’s cold outside, we tend to exercise less and even cut back on subtle calorie-burning activities such as short walks, light outdoor chores. This lack of calorie burning may only add up to about 100 fewer calories per day, but a deficit of 100 calories every day, translates to a 3-4 pound weight gain during the winter months, and 10 lbs in a year,
- Perpetual Darkness. Most of us are affected by winter’s gray days, and sunlight deprivation. We need light so our brains have enough of the neurochemical, Serotonin. A decrease in seratonin can increase our chances of experiencing a low mood, and food cravings. A small percentage of people are particularly vulnerable. About 5 percent of the population become markedly depressed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
- Cravings for Warm Comfort Foods. Being light deprived, and hibernating inside instead of getting outside and moving, reduces the happy chemicals in your brain, like endorphins, and serotonin. This can lead to increased cravings of fattening food. Studies show excess calories contribute more significantly than any other factor to the calorie imbalance causing blizzard bloat.
Strategies for Battling the Blizzard Bloat Blues
- Get some daily sunshine. You’ll feel refreshed and less bored if you walk outside, and your appetite may be more controllable. The amount of needed daylight varies for each individual. In general, the more the better. One hour daily in the morning, ideally at sunrise, is most helpful. If you’re not an early bird, several hours on the weekends may help make up for a lack of sun during the week. But the sun has to reach your eyes, so no sunglasses. If you don’t feel comfortable with the guidelines, or If going outside isn’t always an option, light therapy, also known as phototherapy, may help. Ask a mental health professional about the special lamps you can buy to make up for light deprivation. They work! Studies show they increase serotonin and help decrease depression in most people. Or, do what the Swedes do. Create candle lit rooms, use sconces with mirrors, keep curtains open. Pick the strategies that work for you!
- Up your activity level. Just a little means a lot. During just one exercise bout (only 10 minutes), your brain releases the feel-good neurochemicals, endorphins and serotonin. They reduce pain, increase feelings of well-being, elevate your mood, and will help reduce cravings. If you’re regularly active, these benefits multiply. A brisk 30-minute walk – just as effective as running – three times a week relieves major depression just as effectively as an antidepressant in most adults. Of course, moving even more, gives you even more significant benefits. Assuming you’re not fond of the cold, use these ideas to bundle up!
- Hold on to your favorite dishes, just rearrange them a bit. In the winter, we tend to crave more fattening, warm, comfort foods, and fewer healthy cold foods, like salads. But your comfort foods don’t have to be fattening. My advice, which has been successful for me and my clients, is to continue eating your favorite foods, just change their balance slightly. It’s been well established that you can increase the volume and satisfaction of your meals and dishes – that is, you can eat more food for fewer calories – by simply incorporating veggies or fruits so they comprise at least 50% of the volume on your plate (eat them first to slow you down) or in your dish,
- Veggies and fruits are predominantly water. But because the water is incorporated into the food, as opposed to just a glass of water, the meal will empty from the stomach more slowly. The slower a food empties from the stomach, the more satisfied we are with it. With that in mind, all you have to do is incorporate water or broth into your main course to create a soup or stew, add veggies to a favorite stew or casserole, so that vegetables comprise half or more of the volume. Try having a simple veggie soup as a first course to any meal. Try this technique that makes veggies taste even better than French fries! These strategies – incorporating water, and adding fruits and/or veggies to your meals and dishes – allows you to enjoy your favorite foods. But it also means that you can eat more food for fewer calories. Studies show that, for each meal that you use this strategy, you save 100 calories, naturally – without even trying. That amounts to keeping off 10 lbs a year or preventing blizzard bloat. Try my sumptuous soup recipes to feel full, satisfied, but still keep calories under control.
The BEST Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe: The Second Best Part of Thanksgiving!
- At November 28, 2024
- By Katherine
- In Aging-In-Place, Articles, News, Recipes
- 0
I try to encourage my clients to focus on healthy leftovers, of course, but perfection is never possible or even a healthy objective. One Thanksgiving, I saved the French Apple Cake dessert for breakfast the next morning (It’s better for your weight and health to eat the most fattening food earlier in the day – Sometimes, it’s all about STRATEGY!). It was one of the best breakfasts of my life!
Make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen and ease some stress from your life by batch cooking. I feature batch recipes in my books, Diet Simple and Diet Simple Farm to Table Recipes. Batches are your favorite delicious, quick and easy meals made ahead of time so that you always have something in the freezer or refrigerator, ready to eat on a moment’s notice. And it actually saves time. When you get home from work in the evening, just zap the batch in the microwave and Voilà! Instant delicious, nutritious dinner.
Studies show you’re more likely to eat whatever is in your environment. If you surround yourself with yummy, healthy, wholesome foods, that’s what you’ll end up eating. It’s simple physics: We naturally take the path of least resistance. So why not make things easy on yourself? Plan to make a few batch meals, or even just one, this weekend so you and your family will have their home-made favorites at your fingertips all week long.
Let’s take advantage and start batching with America’s favorite holiday-for-leftovers!
Nothing could be simpler or more delicate than this dish. The flavors are rich and earthy. It contains all the elements of a complete meal. It’s nutritious and filling to boot. I feel honored that Michel Richard provided this recipe for Diet Simple. It fits perfectly as something you can cook, store in the refrigerator and eat for several meals and is a wonderfully delicious addition.
4 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Small Onions, Peeled and Diced
1 Pound Thinly Sliced Mushrooms and any other Leftover Vegetables
2 Quarts Unsalted Turkey or Chicken Stock (defatted)
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
6 Tbsp Pearl Barley
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
About 1 pound, boned, skinned and sliced Turkey into bite-size pieces or small slices
About 1-1/2 Cup (about 3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
Heat the oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until translucent, for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms – and/or other leftover vegetables. Increase heat to medium-high and cook uncovered until lightly browned, for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the turkey stock, soy sauce, barley and garlic. Simmer gently for 45 minutes to cook barley and blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at cool room temperature for up to four hours or refrigerated for several days.)
To serve, bring the soup to a light simmer, add turkey, reduce heat and simmer just until the turkey becomes warm, for about two to three minutes. Ladle into four soup plates. Pass Parmesan, if desired.
Katherine’s Light & Creamy Broccoli Soup with Carrots, Potatoes, and Thyme
Makes 6 – 8 servings
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Cup Chopped Sweet Onion (about 1 medium)
1 Clove Garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried Thyme or 1-1/2 tsp fresh Thyme
2-1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
6 Cups Fresh Broccoli, Chopped (about 1 medium head)
2 Cups Non-Starchy Potatoes, Sliced (about 2 medium)
1 Cup Carrots, Sliced (about 2 medium)
2 Cups 1% Low Fat Milk
Salt (1/8 to ¼ tsp) and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
Optional Garnish:
1 Tbsp dollop of fat free, plain yogurt, salt, and pepper, toasted whole grain bread, or croutons
Heat oil in large dutch oven (soup pot) on medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and thyme. Sauté until golden. Add 2-1/2 cups chicken broth and the rest of the vegetables. Cover, lower the temperature, and let simmer about thirty minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the milk. Let the mixture cool down a bit, then puree in a blender, food processor, or better yet – with no muss or fuss, a Cuisinart Smart Stick. Puree to your desired consistency.
“Song for Autumn” by Mary Oliver
- At October 25, 2024
- By Katherine
- In Aging-In-Place, Articles, News
- 0
In the deep fall
don’t you imagine the leaves think how
comfortable it will be to touch
the earth instead of the
nothingness of air and the endless
freshets of wind? And don’t you think
the trees themselves, especially those with mossy,
warm caves, begin to think
of the birds that will come — six, a dozen — to sleep
inside their bodies? And don’t you hear
the goldenrod whispering goodbye,
the everlasting being crowned with the first
tuffets of snow? The pond
vanishes, and the white field over which
the fox runs so quickly brings out
its blue shadows. And the wind pumps its
bellows. And at evening especially,
the piled firewood shifts a little,
longing to be on its way.
Raspberries: A Sweet, Tart & Versatile Fruit Treat With Amazing Health Benefits
Raspberries – Another amazing food I discussed with renowned health journalist, Daryl Austin, in his USA Today column. One of the tastiest and most popular fruits, raspberries earn $432 million in sales in the U.S. – and they’re virtually everyone’s favorite fruit, Daryl said in USA Today on July 31. They are certainly my favorite!
Raspberries’ intense sweet, tart, and juicy flavor literally bursts in your mouth. Their complex flavor profile makes them versatile in either savory or sweet recipes. I throw them in salads, and add them to my yogurt, and oatmeal. For me, the most delicious way to eat raspberries is right off the bush, or locally from my Farmers Market. When they’re not in season, I buy them frozen.
My favorite dessert for guests is fresh raspberries with dark chocolate shavings. It’s an elegant and delicious way of keeping your guests happier and healthier.
Raspberries, and their close relative blackberries, are two of the most nutritious fruits on the planet. Containing 91% water, one cup of raspberries is only 64 calories, with a whopping 8 grams of fiber, a rare fiber to calorie ratio – which means they fill you up with very few calories. You can eat them to your heart’s content. In fact, the more you eat, the better!
Most of the phytochemicals in raspberries contribute to their color. The riper and redder they are, the more nutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories they contain. On a raspberry bush, some berries are redder than others. It’s because those more intensely colored berries experienced more stress than the other berries on the same bush. A plant’s phytochemical level is increased by stress. For instance, when a berry is exposed to more sun, disease, and bugs, they must synthesize more phytochemicals to protect themselves (which is why organic ones have slightly more phytochemicals – they aren’t protected by pesticides).
Those phytochemicals, when concentrated intensifies their color, flavor, and scent. They are mostly anthocyanins (purple), which help protect against cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, MS, vascular dementia, and Huntington disease, mainly through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Ellagitannins not only help reduce cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative syndromes (listed above), they help prevent cancer. They uniquely improve your gut’s microbiome which has profound effects on your health.
In fact, the nutritional value of raspberries is vast. Rather than just turn on healthy genes, raspberries will also turn down unhealthy genes. They “modulate” or “affect” 119 genes in healthy ways, turning on healthy genes and turning down unhealthy genes in ways that have profound effects improving your health, increasing longevity by improving your immune system and reducing the incidence of not only the chronic metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions occurring together, which increase your risk for diabetes, stroke and heart disease), but also acute infections like viruses and others.
Green Beans: One of the Most Versatile Vegetables
- At July 26, 2024
- By Katherine
- In Aging-In-Place, Articles, News, Recipes
- 0
As I said in an interview with USA Today’s Daryl Austin, green beans are among the most widely grown and enjoyed vegetables across the world. They’re versatile for many reasons: their flavor is not overwhelming so they can fit in more recipes than most, they can be eaten cooked or raw, they’re finger foods – easier for little ones (and adults) to enjoy. And they’re inexpensive, to boot.
Green beans’ health benefits are vast. They’re filled with vitamins, minerals, and 72 different phytonutrients – antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that help reduce the risk of disease. They contain a whopping 2.7 grams of fiber for just 37 calories.
For all of these reasons, eat as much as you want, any time you want! My favorite green beans are French green beans, or “Haricots Verts.” I find them the most tender and flavorful. Here’s my favorite green bean recipe:
Warm Potato Salad with Haricots Verts Smothered in a Lemony, Tarragon Mayonnaise
Serves 6 to 8
Mayonnaise Dressing:
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise, preferably made with Canola or Olive Oil
Grated Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
2 Garlic cloves (or more, to taste), mashed
1 Tbsp (or more, to taste) Tarragon or other fresh herb, such as Dill
Salt and Pepper, if desired (no salt needed)
Vegetables:
1 quart Haricots Verts (French Green Beans), tough end removed
1 pint small New Potatoes (or any potato), cleaned but not peeled, cut into 1″ pieces
2 Red Bell Peppers, roasted (if desired) and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (and/or any other seasonal vegetables)
1 Bunch (about 4 – 5) Green Onions, chopped
Prepare the dressing in a bowl large enough to fit the salad ingredients by mixing the mayonnaise, the lemon, garlic and fresh herb of your choice. Place in refrigerator to keep chilled.
Steam or boil the haricots verts slightly (in a small amount of water) until they are al dente (firm, but not hard, with resistance to the bite). Drain and immediately place in the bowl of mayonnaise. Toss to coat with mayonnaise dressing. Put the bowl back into the refrigerator to halt the cooking process.
Slice the small potatoes in half or quarters, depending on their size. Boil the potatoes for about 5 or 10 minutes, until tender when pierced by a fork. Drain and place in the bowl with the mayonnaise and haricots vert. Toss to coat with the mayonnaise dressing. Place in the refrigerator.
Roast the red bell peppers if desired, chop, and add to the mix. Chop the white part of the green onions, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and place in bowl with the other vegetables; toss.
Heat Stroke Deaths & Emergency Room Visits at Record Levels: 13 Tips for Preventing Heat Illness, Heat Stroke & First Aid
- At June 19, 2024
- By Katherine
- In Aging-In-Place, Articles, News
- 0
This article appeared in The Huffington Post
Unprecedented heat waves across the United States have significantly increased heat stroke deaths and heat illness emergency room visits significantly over previous years.
I’ll never forget volunteering at the Marine Corps Marathon’s Finish Line Emergency Tent. The experience was horrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
I spoke at the marathon’s scientific conference the day before, and the other speakers — dedicated medical specialists who came from around the world — were amazing. Their expertise and dedication saved many lives at the marathon.
But what is seared in my brain forever are the exhausted runners stumbling into the emergency tent on the verge of death: Forced into ice-water baths, several doctors surrounding each tub struggling to get IVs into the runners to save their lives. It was heat stroke.
The runners were frighteningly disoriented: delicate young women and huge, strong men were screaming, cursing, defecating (the room reeked); they couldn’t remember their own names, let alone birth dates. After some time in the painful icy water with IVs injecting life saving fluids, once their body temperatures were lowered, they were whisked off in waiting ambulances to nearby hospitals. Everyone survived that day.
The most essential nutrient: water
Nutrients don’t only come in the form of food; water is the most important, and often most forgotten, nutrient. You can last for some time without food, but only days without water. Your lean body mass contains about 70 percent to 75 percent water, with fat containing much less: about 10 percent to 40 percent water. Because of increased muscle mass, men’s and athletes’ bodies contain more water than bodies with proportionately lower muscle and higher fat, such as non-athletic women, people who are overweight and people who are older.
Water is:
– The solvent for important biochemical reactions, supplying nutrients and removing waste.
– Essential for maintaining blood circulation throughout your body.
– The maintainer of body temperature. As you exercise, your metabolism and your internal body temperature increase.
Water carries heat away from your internal organs before serious damage occurs, which can lead to heat stroke, and even death. The heat travels through your bloodstream to your skin, causing you to sweat. As the sweat evaporates, this allows you to cool off and maintain a safe body temperature, optimal functioning and health.
Daily water intake must be balanced with losses to maintain total body water. Losing body water can adversely affect your functioning and health. Once you start feeling thirsty, you’ve probably lost about 1 percent of your body water and are dehydrated. With a 2 percent water loss, you could experience serious fatigue and cardiovascular impairments. It’s important to note that individual fluid needs differ depending on your sweat rate, the environmental temperature, your clothing, humidity and other factors.
Heat Illness First Aid
Hydration Tips For Preventing Heat Stroke
As summer temperatures hit, here are a number of important tips.
– Drink enough water to prevent thirst.
– Monitor fluid loss by checking the color of your urine. It should be pale yellow and not dark yellow, too smelly or cloudy.
– For short-duration (less than 60 minutes), low-to-moderate-intensity activity, water is a good choice to drink before, during and after exercise.
– Any time you exercise in extreme heat or for more than one hour, supplement water with a sports drink that contains electrolytes and 6 percent to 8 percent carbohydrates. This prevents “hyponatremia” (low blood sodium), which dilutes your blood and could also lead to serious impairment and death.
– Begin exercise well-hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids the day before and within the hour before, during and after your exercise session.
– Avoid alcohol the day before or the day of a long exercise bout, and avoid exercising with a hangover.
– Consider all fluids, including tea, coffee, juices, milk and soups (though excluding alcohol, which is extremely dehydrating). The amount of caffeine in tea and coffee does not discount the fluid in them, even if they have a slight diuretic effect, according to the most recent report by the National Research Council’s Food and Nutrition Board.
– Eat at least five cups of fruits and vegetables per day for optimum health, as they all contain various levels of water and the all-important nutrient potassium.
– During exercise, for those who experience high sodium losses, eat salty foods in a pre-exercise meal or add an appropriate amount of salt to sports drinks consumed during exercise. Orange juice is high in potassium. Dilute juices, such as V-8 or orange juice, 50/50 with water so that the drinks are 6 percent carbohydrate solutions (the same as sports drinks), which will empty from your stomach quicker than 100 percent juice (juices are naturally 12 percent solutions), allowing the electrolytes and water to quickly reach your heart and organs.
– Following strenuous exercise, you need more protein to build muscle, carbohydrates to refuel muscle, electrolytes to replenish what’s lost in sweat, and fluids to help rehydrate the body. For two hours or less exercise, yogurt and water are excellent choices. For strenuous or long distance exercise of more than two hours, low-fat chocolate milk is a perfect, and natural replacement that fills those requirements.
– You can also replace fluid and sodium losses with watery foods that contain salt and potassium, such as soup and vegetable juices.
– For long hikes, when you’ll need food, dried fruit and nut mixtures contain high amounts of potassium, sodium, protein, carbs and calories — though continue to drink plenty of water.
– To determine your individualized need for fluid replacement: During heavy exercise, weigh yourself immediately before and after exercise. If you see an immediate loss of weight, you’ve lost valuable water. Drink 3 cups of fluid for every pound lost; use this figure to determine the amount of water (or sports drink) you’ll need to drink before and during your next exercise session to prevent weight/water loss in the future.
Strawberries! Strawberries! Strawberries! Health Benefits & Katherine’s 8 Favorite Strawberry Recipes
Take a look at the USA TODAY article featuring Katherine discussing strawberries’ health benefits, written by the amazing Daryl Austin.
You must try one of these strawberry recipes!
Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Katherine’s Crepe-Style Swedish Waffles with Fresh Strawberries
Fresh Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Toasted Almonds, and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait
Strawberry Sherbet in 5 Minutes
Icy Strawberry Granita
Strawberry Soy Milk Smoothie
Strawberry Rhubarb Soup
Swedish Midsummer: Feasting the Night Away!
Midsummer is a holiday celebrating the summer solstice, when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky – the longest period of daylight. After lengthy winter months of what seems like never-ending darkness, sun starved revelers join much of humanity in nonstop festivity. It is popular in most of the northern United States and other northern countries around the world, like Sweden.
Established in the 4th Century, Midsummer Eve begins on a Friday night between June 19th and June 25th, a national holiday in many countries. It continues into the following Saturday, Midsummer Day, and usually lasts the whole weekend long. It has become the national excuse for the biggest parties of the year.
I am most familiar with the Swedish version, having celebrated along with my relatives at our summer island cottage over the years. Beginning Friday morning, families and friends gather to set the scene for their feast, called a smörgåsbord (pronounced smer-gose-boord).
A smörgåsbord is a Swedish invention and is literally a table of open-faced sandwiches. Today’s Smörgåbord has evolved into an exhaustive buffet-style spread.
Our family celebrated it with friends, going back generations, on the largest outdoor veranda, on the tiny island, Grimsön. We’d connect rickety unmatched tables side by side on the veranda, with barely enough room for the many chairs to crowd around them. Each family brings their special dishes until the table groans under the weight of the food and drink. We are lucky that the town bakery was owned by a family among us, so we enjoyed the freshest and most authentic Princesstårta (Princess Cake) in the land.
There are appetizers, salads, main courses and desserts. The dishes signal summer’s first harvests: Strawberries grown in the country, freshly clipped dill, and tender root vegetables, especially “new” potatoes, which are freshly harvested young, small, potatoes. Fresh, locally caught fish are featured – usually salmon and herring from the icy Baltic – with other seafoods, too.
One of the traditional foods on our Midsummer table, in the province of Häsingland, is literally rotten fish. A kinder description would be fermented herring, called surströmming. It’s a traditional dish from northern Sweden that arose during the 16th century when Sweden had a salt shortage. Today, the fish has become infamous for its stinky smell, yet enthusiasts praise it. I reluctantly tasted it one year, and to put it politely, I am definitely not one of those enthusiasts!
Desserts feature the first harvest of succulent strawberries (jordgubbar), blueberries (blåbär), lingonberries (lingnon), and cloud berries (hyortron), typically with whipped cream. Sweden brims with berries, like other northern parts of the world, the only fruits that can be grown in colder climates. Princesstårte, a traditional Swedish cake with layers of sponge cake and whipped custard cream, topped with a dome of marzipan, is often featured … A once in a life time treat.
The traditional drinks are shots of Aquavit, along with a rousing “Rah! Rah! Rah!” from the merrymakers, and Swedish beer, accompanied by the Swedish drinking song, “Helan Går,” translated as “Bottoms Up!”
There are cured ingredients as well. Pink rolls of cured salmon (gravlax) are wrapped around dill sprigs, with yellow mustard sauces and peppercorns alongside. There is fresh and grilled herring caught nearby, and coarse salt, as well as dill and other pickles. Eggs, cheese and cream are included, too.
Preparation of our Midsummer feast always began a couple of days before. A local fishermen would roll fresh-caught salmon stacked in rickety wheelbarrows into town going door to door displaying his wares for inspection by anxious cooks.
My grandmother would carefully examine the fresh-caught salmon. In a solemn transaction, she chooses the final selection with an abrupt, “This will do!” The fisherman nods, satisfied, and carries the fish to the kitchen where it lands on the counter with a thud. The smell of the sea enters the house with the day’s catch. The best knife has been sharpened for this moment: the start of Midsummer Eve cooking.
I believe Swedish food is the original nouvelle cuisine. The Swedes have always used superior, locally sourced ingredients for their dishes and meals. Unfussy, it is centered around seafood, local vegetables, fruits, and 100% coarse rye breads.
This year’s Midsummer Eve is June 21, 2024, with the celebrations, and activities continuing on Midsummer Day, June 22, 2024.
The National Geographic describes “Everything you need to know about the Summer Solstice,” including how Fairbanks, Alaska celebrates the holiday with their “Midnight Sun Game.” The game typically begins around 10:30 p.m., continues straight through midnight, and often lasts as late as 2 a.m. Fairbanks, which is located only 160 miles south of the Arctic Circle, gets up to 22.5 hours of summer daylight.
The successful midsummer never-ending lunch party involves flowers in your hair, dancing around a maypole, singing songs while drinking schnapps, and downing a whole load of traditional Swedish foods from the year’s first harvest, like strawberries, and delicate new potatoes. All in all, a grand day out.
How to make your own crown of flowers. All you need is an inexpensive supermarket bouquet of flowers, thin wire, and thread! The flower crowns are worn by children and adults alike.
Besides the crown of flowers, there are many fun activities for children for understanding and celebrating the summer solstice, like making cosmic suncatchers, sundials, sun prints, summer resolutions, and bucket lists.
In Washington, DC, the Smithsonian Museums mark the first Saturday of every summer-“Solstice Saturday”-by staying open late, hosting exhibits, programs, and activities. “Solstice Saturday” includes free parties, programs and performances throughout the day and night June 24. Several museums on the National Mall will have extended hours, with three museums staying open until midnight. Visitors who stay late can explore exhibitions, join a garden dance party or enjoy activities on the Mall. including games and performances throughout the day and night. On Saturday, June 22, 2024, the Smithsonian’s Hirschhorn Museum hosts Hofstra University’s “Astronomy Festival on the National Mall” from 6 to 11.
Investigate your community for Midsummer events nearby.
Traditional Swedish Midsummer Recipes and Menus
New Potatoes with Fresh Dill
6 Savory Toppings for Crunchy Swedish Hard Bread
Swedish Buttermilk Bread,
or and alternate Whole Grain Buttermilk Bread
Gravlax with Mustard Sauce
Cucumber Salad with Fresh Dill
Katherine’s Crepe-Style Swedish Waffles with Succulent Strawberries
Princesstårta
(Instead of making your own Marzipan Dome, you can buy one pre-made)
This Weekend’s Batch Recipe: Katherine’s “I Can’t Believe There’s No-Meat Chili” Step-By-Step
When The Washington Post food section was considering a feature story about my new book, Diet Simple, among the recipes they tested was my chili. I made the cut, and I, and my book, Diet Simple, were featured on the front page, no less!
The Washingtonian Magazine loves it too. And here it is for you
A recent client told me it only took 20 minutes to put together. Try making this recipe a day ahead of time so the flavors and textures have a time to develop. But there is no need, as it’s delicious just after cooking. I love this simple, quick chili recipe. It’s meatless but you don’t miss the meat because it’s so flavorful and the meat-like texture is deceptive. You should use the amount of garlic or chili powder that appeals to you. I like it hot and spicy! I double the recipe, using a whole pound of dried black beans, so I have plenty for the week. I use this dish as a lunch or dinner alongside a green salad. I also serve it at parties as a dip next to my fresh tomato salsa, nonfat Greek yogurt, and guacamole. It’s perfect rolled up in a tortilla or stuffed in a taco with some reduced fat cheese.
Serves 4 as a main course, 8 or more as a dip or topping
3/4 Cup Water (To Hydrate the Bulgur)
1/2 Cup Bulgur (Cracked Wheat)
1 to 2 Tbsp Olive or Canola Oil, or more
1 Large Onion, Chopped
3 Large Garlic Cloves, minced – more or less – to taste (optional)
1-1/2 Tbsp Hot Chile Powder
1-1/2 Tbsp Chipotle Chili powder
A dash of smoked paprika, called “Pimentón,”
A pinch of Cinnamon
1 Large Fresh Green Bell Pepper, chopped roughly
1 can of chopped Italian Plum Tomatoes, drained (optional, to taste)
1 lb. dry Black Beans, or two cans of black beans, whichever is preferred
2 Seeded Jalapeño Peppers, chopped (optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Place the bulgur in a microwavable bowl. Add the boiled water. Place in microwave for 3 minutes. Keep in the microwave while it fluffs up.
Meanwhile, add oil to the pan. Once the oil is hot, add the spices and sauté the spices while constantly stirring, for a minute or two on low heat. Be careful the spices don’t burn.
Add the onions and green bell peppers to the same pot, stir over medium heat until soft, 15 or more minutes. Add the chopped fresh green bell pepper and onions. Sauté on medium heat while stirring. Cook until soft. Add the bulgur and beans. No need to cook further. Adjust seasonings to your preference.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Start by Fluffing the bulgur/cracked wheat, so that it’s ready to pour in the pot when you need it, saving time.
While using canned beans is fine, I like using dried black beans to enhance the flavor by adding carrots, celery, and onions to the pot. If you like garlic, add whole cloves, too. Add salt if using dried beans, according to the package directions. But if you use canned beans instead of dried, no salt is necessary.
Once the beans have been cooked slowly (to preserve the whole bean), remove the vegetables.
If you used dried beans, pour the beans into a bowl while you wash the pot. This way, you only need to use one pot for the recipe – for fast and easy cleanup.
In a clean pot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the spices. Sauté over low heat. Stir constantly so the spices don’t burn.
Chop green bell peppers so that they remain chunky. Chop the onions the traditional way.
Sauté the chopped vegetables, and stir. Use medium heat until they are soft, or al dente. 15 minutes or more.
When the veggies are cooked, strain any water out of the bulgur/cracked wheat, and add the bulgur, and the beans, to the pot. Taste. If you like it as is, you won’t need tomatoes. But if you think you might like to add chopped tomatoes, strain them to remove the liquid. But don’t add too much, or the tomatoes will be all that you taste.
No need to cook further.
I love this chili as a dip. I always add Fage Nonfat Greek Yogurt (with salt and pepper) on the side. It’s cool flavor complements the spicy flavors – to perfection!
No one has ever guessed that there is no meat. I don’t tell anyone it is meat free until they are finished and rave about it. They are always surprised when I tell them that it is meatless.
When offering a dish to guests or family, NEVER use the words “healthy,” “low calorie,” or “high fiber.” Though all of those things are true, those are YUCK words! If someone tells me to taste something, as in, “Try this, it’s good for you!” it sounds unappetizing, and even I’m turned off.
The way to describe anything you offer to others is “It’s delicious! You’ll love it!”
