The Slowing Down Movement … Maybe It Starts In The Kitchen

Step into the kitchen in April and have some fun

Welcome to Roots! A newsletter about plant-based: eating, nutrition, lifestyle, I cover it all. Join me, Lori Osterberg, as I explore good food, great health, and Gorgeous Wellth! New here? Get started.

I remember a time when I used to think, “Life will slow down …

After the holidays …

When my daughter goes back to school …

When I finish this project …

You get it.

I distinctly remember an a-ha, crafting plans for January because my daughter would return to school, giving me hours every day to get stuff done.

Then January came. I started the project. I got stuff done … just not all of it. And I was busy! So much happened!

The a-ha hit me a few weeks later. Life is always busy. Stuff will only get done if I CHOOSE to make it a priority. Because there is no slowing down. January will always come and be filled with “events.” Every month - every day - would bring new challenges, whether I was ready for them or not.

Sounds easy now, as I say it. But I think that’s a learning curve we all must take. I know a lot of people don’t. And do we ever get it completely? I mean, life is always busy. It’s always about choices.

We all have close family members who don’t get food. You know what I mean.

You fly in for a visit. Their idea of dinner is picking up the phone. Or jumping in the car.

If you try to cook, looking through their cupboards is a daunting experience. Spices include salt and pepper. Oil - maybe a little vegetable oil. Sauces? A little ketchup and mustard in the fridge.

🥺

Oh, where do you begin!?

I DON’T believe in walking in and taking over. But I do care about the people around me and want only the best for them. Eating out continually is bad for your health. Relying on frozen foods isn’t much better.

I got my nutrition coaching certificate for a reason. I wanted to go DEEP into nutrition, deeper into the art of talking to people about food.

Because the school systems are failing our society. AP English and math? Yep, they push those. Life skills? Nope. And so, we’re left with a population that knows little about what they eat, and even less about how to prepare quality food.

(Sorry, a little soapbox moment there. 😊)

When I talk to people about healthy eating, my goal is to help them make slow changes. One step at a time. Not all in - Instead, one change, and perfect it.

Here’s how I put it into my own life. Over three decades ago, I decided to eliminate red meat. It’s the only step I took, focusing on switching out hamburger for turkey burger. Avoiding steaks and other red meat products.

It’s where I started. I focused on that. I spent time changing my habits. Which led to education, and another change. Over and over again to get me where I am today.

Slow change.

Kitchen joy starts the same way. One step at a time.

I never push. But many times, the opportunity arises for me to cook. I offer to make a meal or two - as a thank you. I select something without dozens of ingredients. Something easy. Then, I buy the ingredients - a place for them to start.

This year, I’m also bringing one of my favorite cookbooks and I’m planning on leaving it. As inspiration.

With so many to choose from, which one will it be …

Veg-Table
By Nik Sharma

I’m a sucker for cookbook covers. The bright colors and vibrant veggies pulled me in. But it’s more than that.

I’m also a sucker for referrals. I have chefs and foodies I follow regularly. When they make cookbook recommendations, I listen. Veg-Table is older, published in 2023. Yet I’ve seen several recommendations for it lately - I knew I had to get it.

When it appeared on my library shelf, yep, it came home with me. (If you’re new around here, here’s a secret. If you have a great library system, see if they have copies of the cookbooks I talk about here. If you love them, invest in them, and add them to your cookbook shelf. That way, you have YOUR BEST cookbooks at your fingertips. The ones you love AND the ones you’ll use.)

Veg-Table’s subheading is: Recipes, Techniques + Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals. Yep, another cookbook that provides education and recipes - I love it. The vegetable-focused part of this cookbook means there are occasional meat ingredients. Like the Crispy Salmon with Green Curry Spinach. Or the Mustard Chicken, Fennel + New Potatoes.

If you’re new to plant-based, this may be the perfect balance you need to move away from meat and into a plant-rich menu. Sprinkle your weeks with high-quality food … and an occasional meat dish along the way.

For me, if a meat dish looks good, I substitute tofu or tempeh. I can still capture the flavors Sharma created and stick to the way I like to eat. Remember, cookbooks are suggestions, not cast in stone. Add your own love to any meal. Even Sharma says it:

My intention in this book is to give you techniques, flavors, and ideas - with foundations in science and in history - to become an inventive and frequent vegetable home cook.

I love the science sections. This is where you increase your kitchen knowledge. I never thought of:

saving those little silica gel sachets that come packaged with dried foods like seaweed snacks; you can reuse them when storing dried produce such as seeds.

So many helpful hints I’m using in my own kitchen - you will too! Be sure to read the Cook’s Notes sections for more helpful tips for each recipe. This is where you learn and grow as a cook.

When I pick up a cookbook for the first time, I always pick one recipe to try. The Golden Za’atar Onion Rings with Buttermilk Caraway Dipping Sauce did it for me. I don’t do fried food much, but these sounded so good. And he suggests pairing it with his Masala Veggie Burgers. Mmm …

I’ll get my daughter to make homemade burger buns. (The benefits of having a pastry chef in the family. 👩‍🍳)

Sounds perfect for the next sunny day, when we can eat out on the patio.

Yes, that’s the beauty of a cookbook. Set aside your digital device. Open up to a Gorgeous recipe, beautiful photos, and advice to help you learn and grow as a home cook.

It truly is one of the best ways I know to slow down …

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