Embrace and Master the Art of Leftover-ing!

Just the thought of leftovers used to completely depress me. Maybe it's because of unappetizing definitions like this one from Wikipedia:

Leftovers: the uneaten remains of a meal.

But I blame Mom. Every afternoon when I came home from school I would ask, "What's for dinner?" And about once a week she'd respond, "Leftovers." As if these leftovers weren't worthy of being called the actual food that they were. "Leftovers" sometimes meant mac 'n cheese (a childhood favorite!), yet after being labeled "leftovers", I wasn't interested. Seems Mom would have benefitted from a Marketing 101 class.

My distaste of the "leftovers" concept trickled along into my twenties. But at this point, the depression stemmed from a heightened awareness of my economic status: leftovers made me feel poor. And I was poor, mind you, but I certainly didn't want to be reminded of that fact when I sat down for lunch or dinner! So, instead, more often than not, I made the wise choice of either ordering in or going out (declining the doggy bag), driving myself further into debt.

As I matured into my thirties, leftovers no longer felt like the plague. Yet still, there were issues, boredom being one: my taste buds weren't interested in having the same dinner two nights in a row. And often, I wasn't even home two nights in a row. But then inevitably a few nights later, I'd take a look at my leftovers and wonder if they'd gone bad. I would decide they probably had, but as I was not sure, I'd leave them there. (Am I the only one here? Highly irrational!) And they'd then get pushed farther in the back of the fridge only to be discovered weeks later in a state I will not describe here.

But I am happy to report that, pushing 40, I have finally embraced and mastered the art of leftover-ing! In fact, I now strategically cook to ensure I have plenty of leftovers to choose from at all times. A big motto in my house is "cook once, eat twice." I'll admit this is much easier to do now that I'm home rather than at a corporate job (and that health coaching is my career focus!) but it's easier than you may think. Here is a handful of ideas:

- Roast a chicken on Sunday for dinner. Kids can have chicken again one or two nights that week. You can have it in your salads. Or make chicken noodle soup!
- Cook four pieces of salmon instead of two. Refrigerate the remaining two for lunch salads or make salmon breakfast omelets.
- Make more couscous, quinoa, brown rice than you need. Save for up to four days in the fridge and use as a side for any dinner during the week and/or sprinkle over salads. Or spice it up into a salad of its own like this tabbouleh!
- Make more black beans than you need. Use in the kids' dinner quesadillas the next night.
- Bake an additional sweet potato. Divide the flesh into ice cube trays, freeze them and then use a couple of cubes in each of your morning smoothies!

But all of that might feel like too much planning. So what about the stuff you just couldn't finish but know you shouldn't throw away? Odds and ends leftovers can still be made into something fabulously delicious. Check out this list of recipe ideas from Greatist. (And let me know if you decide to make the breakfast spaghetti. Dying to know if that's any good, but haven't gotten around to trying it myself.)

And as far as more "traditional" leftovers go - meaning, just heat them up and there's your meal - I happen to believe foods like pizza, meatballs and thai anything improve with age (okay, overnight.) Or even just remember the Friday after Thanksgiving. Isn't it all somehow more delicious the day after? Here's some actual science behind that.

During the holidays, more than any other time of the year, there are bound to be leftovers. Get creative. I bet you discover some yummy combinations!

Fun Fart Facts

Want to make the unavoidable potty talk in your young household somewhat educational? Or are you just interested in the digestive system? Read on for some fun fart facts.

Anything involving flatulence is a hit in the Kain home these days. Instead of reading the other night, Maggie asked if she could practice writing before she went to sleep. She started off asking how to spell our cat's name, and it went downhill from there as you can see from the picture here.

I cut off the exercise after the third mention of a bodily function as her giggling was becoming uncontrollable and my chances of getting her to go to sleep quickly were waning. But nice penmanship for a four year old, eh?

So anyway, on Sunday I was reading the paper and came across a quiz about digestion that I thought would be perfect to take to test out my health coaching knowledge. I have to admit: I got a perfect zero. Some obscure stuff here! (Take it and see how you do.) I wouldn't say it's the really important stuff to know, but it might help me in Trivial Pursuit some day, and my family found some of the results quite entertaining.

Did you know...

While it varies by diet, humans will toot about 22 times a day. The peak time for passing gas is five hours after lunch and five hours after dinner. These time periods are, in part, a result of manners: you hold it in at work and let the gas out on your way home. 
I had guessed 8, the lowest number I could check on the multiple choice quiz, and even that I had thought was extreme. Frank claimed he hadn't farted at all the day before. We decided that it must have all happened while he slept, though I didn't believe him for a second.

Flatulence in women has higher concentrations of stinky hydrogen sulfide than men.
I'm not sure why I decided to share this little gem with Frank as I've not heard the end of it since.
 
The foods that cause the most foul-smelling gas are red meat, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, dried fruits and beer.
Well, hmmmm..., except for the dried fruit, these are all pretty much staples in our household. If you're eating healthfully, it seems you won't be able to avoid gas. Cut out the red meat, beer and dried fruits if you so choose (though grass-fed red meat once a week is fine for most and some bodies actually need more, dried fruits are yummy in moderation chopped into granola, and cutting out beer is a crime as far as I'm concerned) but cruciferous veggies and garlic should be consumed a-plenty. Cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables are incredibly nutritious, containing all the normal vitamins, minerals and fiber of other veggies, but they also uniquely include certain phytochemical compounds which play a major role in the body's natural detoxification process. And garlic is an allium vegetable (basically an edible bulb) that can transform a blah meal into something totally delicious with no guilt whatsoever. The sulfides in garlic (and onions, leeks, scallions and shallots) have also been linked to decreased risk of many diseases. So bring on the gas, folks!

If these fun little tidbits haven't gotten a rise out of at least someone in your family, share this little gem: your stomach actually digests itself! Our stomach linings have evolved to regenerate themselves completely every few days. Find it hard to wrap your head around this? Take a moment to think about your body in general. It's a machine that works 24/7. The fuel you provide it with daily through food, drink, exercise, mental state, etc. is constantly replacing yesterday's fuel. While percentages vary, experts agree that many cases of chronic diseases like heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country, are not only preventable, but reversible... this constantly replenished fuel is the reason. Change how you treat your body and what you put into it and you could cure it without drugs. But I digress... back to gas.

We learn very early on to hold in our gas, mostly because it's embarrassing not to (rarely because we're being considerate.) Some say it's really bad for our health to do so, but I think I'm with Dr. Oz on this one: Holding in gas isn't dangerous to your health, but Dr. Oz says it can cause unnecessary stomach cramps and pain. "You shouldn't bother holding it in," he says. "Let it come out when it's supposed to come out. Be smart about it. Do it in a place that's airy enough that you're not going to hurt your family and friends." (His use of the word "hurt" here makes me laugh.)

Okay, just one last thing: a little freebie holiday tip. Whoopie Cushions make great stocking stuffers for just about any age. They'll be in my kids' stockings again this year, though I'm unsure why I'm deciding to perpetuate the flatulence fascination. Buy them at the nearest dollar store to save some money. They inevitably pop on Christmas Day from over-use and abuse anyway.

The Holidays: Good or Bad For Our Health?

 Maintaining a healthy diet is especially difficult at this time of year given the inescapable abundance of food and drinks. But here's a little secret: embracing this enviornment is healthier than trying to fight it and then beating yourelf up about it when you can't. Because food and drinks are fun. And lucky for us, fun is good for our health!

Did you know... 

• laughter can ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• laughter stimulates circulation and aids in muscle relaxation.
• positivity can release neuropeptides into your body that help fight stress and improve your immune system.

Conversely, negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that invite more stress and decrease immunity.

But despite the inherent goodness of the holidays, we are all guilty of allowing stress to compromise them to some degree, be it self-inflicted, or brought on by friends, family or the commercialization that companies rely on to make their numbers at the end of the year.

My best advice? Try to reduce that stress by focusing your energy on maintaining good mental health, and everything else will have a much better chance of falling into place.

Be content with how much you can do and what gets put off.

"I just have too much to do. There's no way I'm getting it all done!" Sound familiar? Call me a pessimist, but the likelihood of all of it getting done is non-existent. Rather than accept this reality, many of us choose to rob ourselves of sleep to try to make it all happen. What you might not realize is that sleep deprivation stimulates the hunger hormone, gherlin. So our brain tells us to eat even if we really don't need to. What's worse, sleep deprivation increases activity in areas of the brain that seek pleasure, so we crave unhealthier and higher-calorie foods (of which there is no shortage this time of year.) And without proper sleep to aid in better decision-making, those are likely the ones we'll reach for. It's like a quadruple whammy! So don't try to be superwoman (or man). Prioritize the stuff that absolutely has to happen, and cut yourself some slack as far as what can wait.

Be content with how much you have and what you can give. 

 

"Keeping up with the Jones'" is never a more relevant phrase than during the holidays. But everyone's reality is different, so comparisons are silly. You might not be able to afford everything on everyone's list, but the family next door can. So what? Be content with what you can give and believe that it's enough. You'll find it quite freeing.

Having recently quit my job, I can't give what I normally do this year. A couple of months ago, the thought of this kept me up at night. But once I made peace with it, I realized I can give things like homemade kick-ass quinoa granola that my friends might decide is a wonderful, permanent replacement for the bagel they normally have in the morning. A far more meaningful gift than a tenth pair of Cosabellas!

Be content with who you are and what you look like.

Many of us have a distorted image of our body. We talk to ourselves in ways we would never speak to another. Imagine speaking to a child the way you speak to yourself. It would devastate and squelch them. It affects you similarly, causing stress that makes maintaining or improving your health even more difficult. So give yourself a break! Especially at this time of year! Give the holidays their opportunity to do all the wonderfully soul-enriching things for you they are intended to do. That piece of pie won't kill you, but feeling unnecessary guilt about it can do damage. (And, hey, there's always January for resolutions!)

Lastly... Eat Sweet Potatoes!

Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable, which means they grow under the ground. So eating them provides a wonderful grounding effect that helps fight stress. As their name suggests, sweet potatoes are also sweet-tasting so they can help reduce cravings for sugary treats. But unlike the jolt delivered by simple refined carbs, sweet potatoes elevate blood sugar gently so there's no energy crash after you eat them. Much higher in nutrients than white potatoes and especially rich in vitamin A, they are healing to the stomach, spleen, pancreas and reproductive organs and help to remove toxins from the body. They can even increase the quantity of milk in lactating women and lessen cramps and premenstrual symptoms!

My favorite way to eat them is plain old baked. (This recipe calls for S&P and butter but try them first without. You may just agree with me they're delicious naked!)

Or if you're feeling more adventurous, make sweet potato fries, skillet sweet potatoes (follow just the first part of the recipe, or have the steak too!), sweet potato dip, sweet potato pancakes (be patient with the flipping), or sweet potato soup!

Your body is your home. Make it the best place to be.