Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Grapes (and maybe Thyme)

Here is a recipe I tried yesterday. It's a fun and creative dish, though I would skip the thyme in the future (no, I'm not gonna say "next thyme"). Maybe you can trick your kids (or husband) into eating sprouts if they're mixed with grapes. I don't have kids or a husband so I used this recipe on other peoples kids and husbands, because I'm like that.

Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Grapes, and Thyme

1 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cups brussels sprouts, ends removed and sliced in half
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup red seedless grapes
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (maybe basil would be better)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, heat oil in saute pan and cook, stirring occasionally until they turn bright green and for about 8 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, grapes, and thyme (or don't) to the pan and mix well.

3. Transfer the ingredients into a baking dish and roast for 30 minutes, giving it a shake every so often to keep it from sticking. Like, you could do one 1-minute plank and then rest for 5 minutes and then shake the pan and then repeat 4-5 times. Or you could prepare your other side dish (maybe delicata squash). Or you could call your mom. Or you could lay on the bed with the dog and pet her. Or you could blog. Or you could go downstairs and do the laundry. Or you could watch a show, though maybe you shouldn't because you might forget to shake the pan. But I guess you could shake the pan when there are commercials. So just make sure you have commercials on your show. Or maybe you could get online and sign up to go train with awesome people in San Diego at ZenTri Camp in January (www.zentriathlon.com) or sign up to go train with awesome people in freakin' Spain in February at Strong Like Bull (www.stronglikebulltraining.com). Or you could do both, like me, and get insanely fit. But you need to be able to tele-web-commute for your job. But anyway, after 30 minutes remove the sprouts from the oven.

4. Serve them hot.

(Recipe adapted from The Putnam County Courier)
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Soup Season

People are starting to get sick. Maybe your coworkers are sniffling, maybe your kids are a snotty mess, and maybe your beloved is a little bit cranky about feeling feverish when you want to spoon all night anyway.

So make some soup. Not just today, but a couple of times a week. This is a link to a past blog post with my favorite soup recipe - which I'm making in about 5 seconds because I have one of the problems listed above... though I won't say which.

Also, I was talking about some yummy, healthy (ish) brownies and people were interested in the recipe, so here is that one as well.

A Dose of Straightforwardness from holisticEVIL

I got this question in an email this week and I answered using my alter ego, @holisticEVIL:

Q: "I have a friend who says she's been taking Emergen-C for electrolytes and vitamins. I really don't know why, but that's what she's been doing. She's also been having a really hard time because she's dizzy ALL the time lately. It's been happening for weeks. Today, she researched Emergen-C and found it has MSG in it, so now she's raving about neurotoxins. She asked me "What's that stuff you use that you bought at the running store?". I sent her a link to Heed. I love Heed, but only drink it when I'm working out. She's freaking out about the Heed, too, because it has "natural flavors". I sent her their explanation of natural flavors and she's still freaking out. 
My question to you is this: Do you have ANY idea what I can suggest to her? She's a very close friend, and I love her, but I don't have the patience to watch THAT closely what goes into my body. I've come to accept that unless I were to grow EVERY single thing and monitor my water supply, I will ingest poisons. 
You're the only person I know who would even have a clue about this stuff. Like I said, I don't know why she feels she needs the electrolytes. 
Thank you for your time, Guru. I appreciate all of your awesome advice, whether it's here or on Twitter. :) You're one of a kind!

Love Always,

Your Biggest Fan"

And my answer:

"Dear Biggest Fan,

Is your friend an athlete? I'm not sure why she would need electrolytes either. Has she tried drinking coconut water? What is she worried that she might be missing?

Some people need a serious smack into being a flexitarian... Meaning, that they need to remove the nutrition stick out of their ass and not worry so much about everything. Worrying and being anal retentive about food causes worse damage to your body than a bit of "natural flavors" ever could. She needs to follow the 90/10 rule: 90% of what I eat is healthful, making it so that the other 10% is irrelevant.

For example, I ate an assload of fruit and greens today. Then I ate a rice krispy treat. I'm still healthier than 99% of people in this country.

Thanks for the compliments. I'm always happy to help :)

Guru"

What do you readers think about this? Is a 100% healthy diet or an 80- 90% flexible healthy diet better in the long run?
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Halloween!

Halloween weekend began with a pumpkin carving party on Friday night. We also made candy apples and watched Nightmare Before Christmas. It was tons of fun. Coraline even got her face painted (with washable markers). I never even realized that having an all white doggie would be like having a blank canvas to draw on. Then on Saturday we went to the wedding of 2 triathlon friends, Ken and Aubrey. Aubrey also recently graduated from the Instutute for Integrative Nutrition and is now a health counselor, like me! The wedding was outdoors and perfect and beautiful with all of the fall colors. Saturday night we got home late but still got all dressed up to go to a halloween dance party. I was an evil marionette and John was a puppet master. We looked awesome and had a blast!

Sunday we recovered from Saturday by eating healthy food and resting. Then on Monday morning John took me to the gym with him. I did his strength workout and now I can't walk very well. Its the good kind of pain though... The kind that comes when you're building muscle to ride your bike faster. It also helps to know that many of the CREW will be doing the same thing and we'll all be walking funny!

I'm seriously looking forward to next season. I'm focusing on base training, building strength, getting enough rest, and eating clean to get me through the winter.

(Photo: I was the EVIL marionette - skeery!)
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