OK, here is a great meal that is easy to cook, tastes great, and is very healthy.  This is my Quinoa Curry.  I make it with chicken, but it tastes just as good without for all you vegetarians out there!  The quinoa provides plenty of protein, so again the chicken is optional.

Here is what you need:
1.  Bag of quinoa
2.  13 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk.  Comes in a can, use the whole can.
3.  One spoon of Thai Green Curry Paste.  It's spicy, so start small and add to taste.
4.  One medium butternut squash
5.  4 ounces of blanched almonds, "whole"
6.  One can of canned peas.
7.  Two chicken breasts, cut up into pieces.

OK, start by boiling some water with the quinoa, and begin peeling the butternut squash.  After you peel the squash, cut it into small pieces and steam them.

Now get your biggest frying pan out and start cooking the chicken.  You can add a little olive oil if needed, however the browning of the chicken is a good thing.

After the chicken is cooked, you want to add the almonds in the same pan with the chicken.  Eventually, the almonds will get a nice toasty brown and the browning will start to caramelize the dish a bit, yummy!

At this point the butternut squash will be done, so toss that into the pan as well.  If the squash is a little bit al dente, don't worry about it.  Just throw it in; you still have plenty of cooking time left.

Next, stir in the coconut milk and make sure the heat is on low.  Then add the green curry paste, the peas, and stir it all together.  Let it simmer for about ten minutes.  While simmering, put the quinoa in a separate bowl.

That is it, you’re ready to eat!  Serve the quinoa, add the curry on top, and enjoy!

When making this dish, obviously try to buy organic when possible.  The whole dish should take about 40 minutes to cook and it serves up to four people.

The almonds and coconut milk make this meal rich and high in good fat.  This means it is not low in calories; however the coconut milk and quinoa are very cleansing.  The meal as a whole is very satisfying and healthy.  If you want to salt to taste, just use Celtic Sea Salt.  Also, you can buy low fat coconut milk.  But I say stick to full cream; it's very good for you and healing.

Enjoy!!

All the Best in Health!

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Recipes
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Today’s post is a response to a viewer comment.  Linda was responding to last week’s blog about never having enough time to workout, which you can check out here.

Comment:  You're absolutely right; time is where you make it. I get up at 4:30 a.m. to work out before I go to work. I have a 30 minute each way commute to work. I have to be in bed by 9:00 to be able to get up so early. I don't watch TV because it takes up too much valuable time. Twice a week after work, I go to an hour long kick-butt kickboxing class. Funny, it's usually the kickboxing class I have to talk myself into because I'd so much rather go home! Getting up at 4:30 is a habit and even though it is still hard to do on cold mornings, once up, I never regret it. Like Nike, I frequently tell myself to Just Do It! I read a lot of fitness magazines, your column and book, and various websites to keep myself motivated. No, it isn't always easy, but it is always worth it. -Linda

Response:  Hey Linda!  Wow, see its comments like yours that constantly puts me in check!  4:30 a.m.!  Wow, that is committed!

But you’re right.  Once you’re up, it’s the best thing you can do.  One of my very first films I worked on was with Demi Moore on a film called "The Juror".  Don't know if you remember this film, but anyway we were actually training for her next film, “Striptease”, and had to train around 4 a.m. every morning.  It was the only time available.

This was in New York, and most mornings we would run outside around the reservoir @ Central Park.  It was amazing, because the sky would start out black.  Then, slowly the morning would rise as we ran.  The colors would go from dark blue to lighter blue to finally sunrise.  The city sounds, cabs and the hustle of New York, would gradually grow as the day broke.  You would actually hear the city wake up!

Being in Central Park, we would hear the birds go from silent to full chirp as people would slowly join us on the running path around the reservoir.  It turned into such an incredible time and ritual for us.  I will never forget that side of New York; so gentle, just for that small window of time between 4:00 and 5:30 a.m.  The funny thing is we had security following us, which was hysterical!  These poor guys, running to keep up with us with their flashlights.  They actually got in great shape as well!

It's something I will never forget, and a quality I always carry with me.  Every time I go to New York, I find the time to get to the park.  It's like visiting an old friend.  Central Park to me is what makes Manhattan such a special city!

Thanks again for your comment Linda!  I really appreciate it!

All the Best in Health!

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Celebrities , Community Questions
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Last week I discussed how reactions to certain foods can make your body looks like it is carrying 5-10 additional pounds.  Here is some more information on this topic and some suggestions for identifying and addressing this issue.
Because it’s hard for your body to digest foods that you eat too often, the foods that most often cause food reactions are usually very common foods.  Most comon are the six “repeat offenders” that cause a huge majority of reactions. 

The Six Repeat Offenders:
Wheat
Dairy products
Eggs
Corn
Soy
Peanuts

Others that often cause problems are shellfish, chocolate, gluten (in wheat, rye, and oats), citrus fruits, M.S.G., and aspartame.

People often love the foods to which they are most reactive, because reactive foods can cause a drug-like response.  As they enter the bloodstream – and trigger a distress alarm when they’re identified as a foreign invader – part of the body’s distress response is a release of feel-good endorphins, and energy-boosting insulin and adrenaline.  This creates temporary spikes of contentment and satisfaction – which inevitably subside, causing a desire for more of the food: cravings!

It’s easy to find out if you’re reactive to various foods by taking a rather expensive doctor’s test.  Most people, though, can figure it out just by avoiding certain suspicious foods for about a week, to see if their symptoms subside.  To do this, restrict all of your suspicious foods – the ones you eat most often, and seem to crave.  Then add them back in one at a time, looking for symptoms, such as indigestion, or the gain of water weight.  This procedure can be challenging, because it’s hard to avoid your favorite foods.  But it can really pay off!

Note: some clients have found that the best time to do this "add them back in" test is after a cleanse, but you don't have to cleanse to identify reactions.

When you eliminate all your reactive foods, you’ll probably lose several pounds of water weight, or edema, almost instantly. You’ll look and feel much better.  And after you rid your system of the last vestiges of your offending foods, your cravings for them will drop dramatically.  Conquering cravings will benefit your dieting efforts tremendously.

You’ll quickly find that there are numerous substitutes available for virtually all foods.  Why?  Because millions of people need them, since food reactions are so common.

Give this effort some consideration. It’s very important.

All the Best in Health!

Full entry | posted by Gregory Joujon-Roche in Improved Appearance
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