About Me

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Hello, dear viewer, and thank you for visiting my blog! I am a dedicated (and certified) Food Coach and Personal Trainer with a very individual attitude to coaching. I search to look beyond people's health issues and modify their lifestyles so that they can live a healthier life, increase vitality and longevity. Recently as a strong believer in natural healing I have published two books on Ayurveda and how to use Ayurveda lifestyle and food at home. Further, I am very much into TCM and the concept of original Chinese Food, especially after my recent stay in China. I am striving to become a Yoga expert through intense training and am practicing some kind of exercise every single day. My second blog http://thrumyeyes-kat.blogspot.com/ is dedicated to my passion to capture the world with my camera and create my own world like that. Everything you will find on these pages about nutrition and exercising is authentic and self-tested. Enjoy and don't forget to send me your comments, which are always welcome in my attempt to meet your expectations even better!

Thursday 27 January 2011

Wheat-free health food

Dear all,

in our part of the world another weekend is coming up, you will all have amazing plans and I will just share a recipe, which I prepared today at lunch. It is easy and quick to prepare, tastes delicious and provides you with a lot of good things. 

I used PEARL BARLEY for this salad, which is a nutritional powerhouse. Plus it is good for your WHEAT-FREE diet (not gluten free!), it is a low GI food and thus extremely good for diabetic persons. It is full of fiber, so include it in your diet if you want to lose weight, it will keep your blood sugar levels balanced for a long time. 

Barley contains lots of vitamins and minerals including niacin (Vitamin B3), thiamine ( Vitamin B1), selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and copper as well as antioxidants, which work to slow down the rate of oxidative damage by gathering up free radicals that form when body cells use oxygen.


Here is how it goes :)



1. Boil the quantity of barley you would like to have
2. Chop all kinds of veggies, I used multicolor bell peppers (Vitamin C!), cucumber and cherry tomatoes and also add a small handful of spring onions
3. Prepare a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, organic yogurt, dried or fresh mint, salt and pepper and dried or fresh basil.
4. Let the boiled barley stand to cool off a bit, then mix it with the veggies and drizzle over the dressing.
5. Enjoy a hearty, wholesome meal for lunch or dinner. 


You might add some sunflower seeds or roasted pine nuts if you like.





  

 

Sunday 23 January 2011

Quote of the day

The moment somebody says to me, "This is very risky," is the moment it becomes attractive to me.  (K. Capshaw)






Buckwheat - a healthy, gluten free alternative to grain

Hello world! (This is my husband's favorite "Hello to everybody" :) )

Unbelievably, but true, we are already three weeks into 2011 and I bet you've all done a loooooooot to stay with your new year's resolutions (no, I am not being ironic, honestly...) and you've all taken care about your nutrition.

I'm always on the quest to share new insights with you and draw your attention to food that you maybe never considered in your daily diet. Thus browsing through my kitchen cupboards this morning searching for some grains to substitute bread (my dear husband this morning decided to be off bread for a while) I found a pack of organic buckwheat, which I had bought recently. YAAAYYYY!!!!


You know how that works: you read about it, you buy it, then you don't really know, what to do with it and there is dozes around in your cupboard.

BUT: before you throw it, let me tell you some facts about buckwheat:



Uuuhhh, no, I meant the other buckwheat...the one, which is not coloured nicely like this one, but normally comes in a slightly beige colour. The one, that is
-barring the popular notion of being a cereal grain- actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel, making it a suitable grains’ substitute for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens.



 Yep, that's the one!!!
Buckwheat is a very nutritious food, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, folate, potassium, B vitamins, phosphorus, minerals, and essential amino acids and can truly be denominated as ‘king of the healing grains’.


You can prepare nearly any dish with it, let your fantasy fly. Make a nice fresh tomato sauce with it and have it instead of your usual pasta. Add it to any soup instead of noodles or add it to a mixed salad with a fresh yogurt sauce instead of heaving your usual slice of bread with it. 

Following one recipe, which I find delicious. It comes from Russia and you can have anything you like with it. Braised veggies, salad, fish...whatever you're in the mood for! 






BRAISED BUCKWHEAT  KERNELS

Ingredients

1
cup kasha (buckwheat) uncooked

1
egg

2 1/2
cups boiling water


2
tablespoons butter


1 1/2
teaspoons organic stock granules/paste


1/4
teaspoon salt

1/4
teaspoon black pepper


How to prepare:

Mix buckwheat kernels and egg in ungreased 10-inch skillet.
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until kernels are separated and brown. Stir in remaining ingredients; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and buckwheat kernels are tender.

Thursday 20 January 2011

Quote of the day

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them. -George Eliot-


Health food - The Avocado

Dear readers wherever you are,
there have been many myths about the "bad" Avocado..too fatty, too heavy, too many calories...Here's good news: Eat them!! They are no vicious vegetables, they are a really healthy fruit, full of good stuff. Plus they are so versatile there is no end to your creation of new recipes.

Let me tell you something about the nutrients first, after I will provide you with a delicious recipe, which will be on my dinner table as a starter tonight.




Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. The B-Vitamin part is very important, most of us if we do not use the right supplements tend to have some shortage. Avocados also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
Furthermore, Avocados are great for your healthy heart, because they have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium.

So, now that you know how much good those green "balls" will do you, here is one of many mouthwatering recipes:


Chilled Avocado soup with fiery tomato salsa
(Serves 4)

I like to prepare this soup raw (apart from the stock, but you can cook that earlier and leave it to cool before using it as suggested in the recipe)

You need:
2 large, ripe avocados
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1.2l veggie stock, chilled 
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and ground black pepper

For the salsa:
2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2 spring onions, sliced
1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Juice of 1/2 lime

First make the salsa. Combine the tomatoes, spring onions, chilli and coriander in a small bowl. Season with a little salt, squeeze lime juice over the mixture and stir until combined. Cover and set aside.

To make the soup, halve and stone the avocados, then scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender. Add the chilli, garlic and stock and process until smooth. Add the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper, then blend quickly to mix.

Pour the soup into bowls. Top with ice cubes and a spoonful of salsa and serve immediately.

 

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Detox with wholesome, healty food

My dear readers,

yes, shame on me, it's been way too long since my last post, but now there will be no stopping me - beware! 

Most of us as a major resolution for a new year do have this "I want to live healthier", "I want to loose weight" and similar doctrines on mind, don't we? Next question is: how do I start, what should I eat? What exercise is good for me?

Let me help you with wholesome, healthy recipes, most of them quite easy to prepare, and some helpful advice for your daily fitness routine. 

I would like to start with an extremely nutritious and balanced meal, which I prepared the other night. It might appear heavy at first sight, but it is not. It fills you nicely and provides you with a lot of important nutrients like antioxidants, Vitamin C, D, A and folic acid in the red beans and great protein and iron in the egg. Wild rice is a healthy source of carbohydrates and rice is an excellent detox food. 

This dish is a fantastic base for a good cardio workout the next morning before breakfast! You should feel strong and able to perform a good 30 minutes interval training on your treadmill or crosstrainer. 


RECIPE:
  
Wild Rice and Red Kidney Beans with a Poached Egg

You have to begin preparations the day before. The beans need to soak overnight (24hrs) and they need their own sweet time to cook (approx 3hrs!), but you don't have to watch them, just check on them every now and then. Dried beans provide a better taste and texture, but if you have no time for them, just use a can of red beans, but rinse them well, I even tend to wash them quickly with cold water. 
In case you are not sure about how to prepare a poached egg, a soft boiled egg is just as good (my dish was with a boiled egg... ).

Ingredients (serves 4)

500g dried red kidney beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, freshly chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin 
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1l (preferably home-made) chicken stock
2 bay leaves (I used basil instead)
1 small onion/shallot, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
200g brown and wild rice, freshly cooked 
30g fresh coriander leaves
4 poached eggs


-Place the beans in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 24 hours. Drain and set aside.
-Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the spices and saute again briefly.
-Add the beans and chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for about two hours, stirring occasionally.
-Add the bay leaves and continue to simmer, covered, for about an hour or until the beans are tender. Tip the beans into a bowl and keep warm.
-Saute the onion in the olive oil until golden and stir through the pre-cooked rice.
-Devide the rice and beans between four plates and top each with some coriander leaves and a poached or soft-boiled egg.









The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss


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Sunday 2 January 2011

Every new year is a notebook with 365 blank pages to fill with whatever you want to! On the first page write all your goals, on the last page note down your secret wishes. Then start to fill these pages with love, effort, laughter, tears, work, easy moments and hard moments and never lose focus on the first page. Remember that every moment is there to use it in the best possible way and creating your road through the year you will arrive at the 365th page and your wishes will be fulfilled! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!




                                                The Haircut, a New Year's Tale