From www.harbormarine.ca
Serves four

Ingredients:
4 black cod fillets (approx. 4 oz. each)
2 oz organic butter
3 leeks, medium, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
7 oz dry white wine (preferably organic)
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat the butter in a frying pan and sauté the leeks and onion for about 5 minutes over a medium heat, until softened but not browned. Add the wine and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated.

Drizzle a little olive oil into a roasting pan and add in the leeks and onions. Arrange the fillets of black cod on top and season with a little salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the fish is cooked. To make sure that it is done, check that the flesh looks opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Take care that you don’t overcook it, or the fish will become dry.

Serve the fish with the vegetables, garnished with chopped parsley and accompanied by some sautéed sunchokes or parsnips.

Not interested in eating fish, but want to get the benefit of omega-3 fats? Take a fish oil supplement that contains both DHA and EPA. Worried about mercury and toxins? Here’s an easy home test from Dr. Barry Sears to test whether or not your fish oil supplement has them:

• Take several (7-10) pills and pop them open.
• Put the oil into a shot-glass and put the shot-glass into the freezer.
• After about 5 hours, put a toothpick in the oil

-  if you can get the toothpick into the oil, then that means it is good quality and free of toxins
- if you can’t get the toothpick into the oil, then that means that the oil has toxins

For one of the best quality fish oil supplements try Krill Oil

Are you one of the 7 out of 10 people in America who eat at their desks? Sometimes “desking and dining” just can’t be avoided. So when deadlines conflict with a nice lunch out, let’s do the best we can to make desk dining as healthy and delicious as possible! There are two key things to keep your health in mind when you desk and dine.

How We Eat

Surprisingly, how we eat is actually more important than what we eat. When we are stressed, annoyed, angry or frustrated, your fight-or-flight response takes over and your sympathetic nervous system shuts down digestion. Have you ever had a meal sit like a brick in your stomach? That’s pretty much what happens, because you’re literally not able to digest unless your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. In other words, you have to relax. Easier said than done at work, right? Not entirely. All you need to do is take a minute or two before you eat and take five deep breaths. Deep, like into your belly. The body will have no choice but to switch off the stress system, and switch on the relaxation system. Voila!

What We Eat

Okay, now that you’re relaxed, what do you eat? Bringing food from home is often a healthier choice, as you get to control the quality and type of food. Dinner leftovers are a great choice, as is a sprouted wrap from our recipe below. You can also keep a stash of high quality foods in your desk or your office fridge…like almond butter, flax crackers, raw nuts, trail mix, fresh fruits, high-quality food bars, hard boiled eggs, organic free-range turkey slices, and pre-cut raw veggies. If you have to order in choose a restaurant that uses high quality ingredients. My new book Clean Plates NYC (due out this winter) will be a great resource as it will review the top healthy and delicious restaurants in Manhattan ranging from places serving raw, vegan cuisine to grass-fed steaks and burgers. (If you want to learn more about it shoot me an email!!!)

So what’s the deal with sprouted grains? Why are they better for us than flour products? The main benefit of sprouting any food is twofold: first, it releases vital nutrients and second, it makes those nutrients easier for the body to assimilate. You can sprout at home on your own but if you don’t have time you can now purchase sprouted foods. Let’s look at an example of a sprouted food at your local health food store or Whole Foods.

You may have heard of Ezekial breads and wraps, usually found in your health food store’s refrigerated or freezer section. To unlock the dormant grain energy and maximize nutritional value, Ezekial adds water to organic grains, which releases beneficial enzymes that sprout the grains. The resulting sprouted grain is richer in protein and vitamins than a regular bread made from dry, ground flour. You’ll notice that if you keep Ezekial breads and wraps out on your counter, they’ll spoil after only a few days. That’s a good thing! That means that they have life energy in them, which boosts your own energy when you eat them. See our Recipe section below for suggestions on how to use sprouted wraps.

You can store Ezekial breads and wraps in the refrigerator or the freezer - they’ll last longest in the freezer. If you store them there, just pull out what you’re going to use a couple minutes before you make your sandwich. They defrost super quickly. Wraps are perfect for healthy “desking and dining”!

Ingredients:

Wraps:
Ezekial sprouted corn tortilla (gluten-free)
Ezekial sprouted whole grain wraps

Possible Fillings:

· Avocado slices, pinto beans, organic cheddar cheese*, salsa

· Free-range, hormone-free turkey, avocado, sprouts, shredded zucchini, dijon mustard

· Tempeh, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, Annie’s Goddess Dressing

· Hummus, tabbouleh, sprouts and cucumbers

· Baked tofu, sautéed spinach or kale and pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Put fillings in wrap and fold.

2. Wrap in paper towel or parchment to reduce spillage.

3. Bring to work and refrigerate.

4. Enjoy!

If you knew there was a vitamin that can instantly rejuvenate, refresh and reinvigorate you, would you take it? Well, that vitamin exists! It’s called Vitamin FA, for “Fresh Air”. Sitting in a closed office all day is hard on your body. The next time you want to head to Starbucks to stave off your afternoon energy dip, take a brisk 10 minute walk outside instead. It’s guaranteed to lift your mood and your energy!

Let’s face it – we’re busy people! A flight for work, a busy day of errands, a road trip to a friend’s house, back-to-back meetings, a weekend away with someone special…. We’ve got places to go and things to do. So how do we eat well when we’re on the run?

It easy! Just remember your “QTQs”. Nope, that’s not a stock symbol for a high-tech company. “QTQ” stands for Quality, Timing and Quantity, three easy concepts to keep in mind when eating on-the-go.

Quality: Aim to have the least processed foods available. The closer a food is to its natural state, the higher the quality.

Timing: Timing is crucial when eating on-the-go. Make sure you eat every four hours. If you’re ravenous, you’re far more likely to fall prey to the siren call of the drive-thru.

Quantity: It’s easy to mindlessly chomp on chow when you’re driving or bored at the airport. Take time to breathe and chew while you eat, so you can really feel when your body has had enough. Aim to eat to the point of feeling like you’ve refilled your energy stores, and then stop. You want your food to fill you up when you’re on the run, not slow you down.

So the next time you have a whirlwind day, all you have to remember is “QTQ”. To help you pick the highest Quality travel foods, check out our Food Focus.

Here’s a Top Ten list David Letterman never published. Pack up, kids, we’re going on a road trip QTQ-style!

1. Ezekial sprouted wrap with organic almond butter and sliced dried prunes, dates or figs

2. Veggie Surprise – cut jicama, cukes, celery, snap peas, and bell peppers

3. Fruit – fresh cherries, plums, peaches, apples, pears and oranges

4. Hard boiled eggs

5. Ezekial sprouted wrap with organic turkey slices, sprouts & spicy mustard

6. Plain yogurt with fresh berries

7. Hummus with veggies

8. Greens Plus Bar with Protein

9. Home Touch Trail Mix (see this month’s recipe)

10. Quesadilla with sprouted corn tortilla avocado, organic cheese and salsa

from www.integrativenutrition.com

Ingredients:

2 cups almonds, raw
1 cup pecans
2 cups walnuts, raw
2 cups pumpkin or squash seed, raw
2 cups dried cranberries (unsweetened)
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix together almonds, pecans, walnuts and seeds. Cover with water and soak overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

3. Rinse and discard soaking water.

4. Add cranberries and add olive oil. Mix until everything is coated well.

5. Spread the mixture out evenly on baking sheet and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until you can smell the roasting nuts and they start to turn a lot.

6. Cool and store in air-tight glass container.

Notes:

* Try any nuts and dried fruits you like
* The nuts and seeds can be soaked for a few hours to help with their digestibility

Ever find yourself…how can I say this…”thrown off” when you travel? A new schedule can be exciting for you, but not necessarily for your bowels. If they tend to get angry or sluggish, bring a good probiotic with you when you travel to keep ‘em happy and regular. Take it once in the morning twenty minutes before breakfast, and once in the evening, at least two hours after dinner.