Karen's Class Schedule

Smart Snacks, Monday, March 1^st, 7-9PM. Jennings Park Barn, Marysville. If you're looking for fresh ideas for healthy snacks that will stabilize your blood sugar and leave you feeling energized, this class is for you! We will discuss the effects of food on mood and energy, learn the three components of a healthy snack, and sample several delicious snacks that are easy to assemble and take with you when you're on-the-go.

Registration: 360-651-5085

Healthy Low-Carb Eating, Thursday, March 4^th, 7:15-9:15PM. Richmond Highlands Rec Center, Shoreline. Are you experimenting with the 'low-carb' way of eating? Learn how to make no-grain breads, pancake, and desserts that are not only delicious, but healthy to boot!

Registration: 206-418-3383. Course# 10516

15 Minute Meals, Saturday, March 6^th, 1-3 PM, Everett Senior Center, Pacific and Lombard. This fun class will show you how to prepare healthy meals with a gourmet taste in under 15 minutes.

Registration: 425-257-8300 Course# 46175

Prepare 2 Weeks of Healthy Meals, Sunday, March 7^th, 12:30-3:30PM, University Village. Learn how to prepare simple, delicious and healthy meals for days ahead. See Discover U catalog or website for full description. www.discoveru.org

Registration: 206-365-0400 Course# KS521P1

Healthy Low-Carb Eating, Tuesday, March 9th, 7:00-9:00PM. Frances Anderson Center, Edmonds. Are you experimenting with the 'low-carb' way of eating? Learn how to make no-grain breads, pancakes, and desserts that are not only delicious, but healthy to boot!

Registration: 425-771-0230 Course# 4079

Fast, Fabulous and Family Friendly, Thursday, March 11^th, 7:15-9:15PM. Richmond Highlands Rec Center, Shoreline. These healthy meals can be prepared in under 20 minutes, and will please the entire family, including your kids.

Registration: 206-418-3383 Course# 10518

Healthy Low-Carb Eating, Thursday, March 18^th, 17-9 PM, Everett Senior Center, Pacific and Lombard. See previous description.

Registration: 425-257-8300 Course# 46179

Early Spring Detox, Thursday, March 25^th, 6:30-9PM, Greenlake PCC.

I'm teaming up with chef Birgitte Antonsen to show you how to create delicious and healthful detoxing foods that will cleanse your system, restore your vitality and help you shed excess winter pounds. Healthy food never tasted so good!

Also being taught at Issaquah PCC Friday, 4/2, 6:30-9PM, and at West Seattle PCC, Sat/ 4/3, 3-5:30PM. See http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/foodworks

Fast, Fabulous and Family Friendly, Monday, March 29th, 7-9PM. Jennings Park Barn, Marysville. These healthy meals can be prepared in under 20 minutes, and should please the entire family, including your kids.

Registration: 360-651-5085

Prioritizing Organic Produce

I get lots of questions about which foods to buy organic, and how to prioritize foods is you can't afford to buy everything organic.

Organic food is increasingly available in grocery stores, but not everyone can find or afford to eat 100% organic food. The lists below will help you prioritize which foods are most important to eat organic.

Remember that by buying organic you're not only reducing your exposure to pesticides, you're reducing harm to the planet. Organic farms are safer for agricultural workers, who are among the people most at risk for exposure to pesticides, and organic farming also prevents the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in pesticides from ending up in our water system. So in the long run, it benefits everyone! Another great way to support healthy farming is to buy locally grown food. In the summer months, farmers markets are a great resource. There's also the option of home delivery. In Snohomish County, the Klesick Family Farm delivers organic produce to your home weekly ($20.00/week for the small fruit and vegetable box). You can sign up at http://www.organicproduceshoppe.com. Mention I referred you and we both get $5.00 off! In King County, check out http://www.pioneerorganics.com.

The Environmental Working Group created the following lists based on the results of more than 100,000 agricultural tests on pesticides in produce conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information go to http://www.foodnews.org.

Fruits and vegetables MOST likely to have pesticide residue: Studies show that eating these 'dirty dozen' organic rather than conventionally grown can reduce your pesticide exposure by 90%: strawberries, raspberries, apples, peppers of all kinds, peaches, nectarines, pears, cherries, imported grapes, spinach, celery, and potatoes.

Fruits and vegetables LEAST likely to have pesticide residue: sweet corn, avocado, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, peas, broccoli, pineapple, mangoes, bananas, kiwi, and papaya.

Some thoughts on meat, poultry and fish: non-organic fish, poultry, meat and dairy products are a major source of pesticides, hormones, and other chemicals in our diet. Many of the toxins in our environment are fat-soluble and accumulate in body fat. These contaminants are passed from organism to organism up the food chain and their concentration is magnified as they go. This means that when we eat animal products, we consume the toxins in that animal as well as the toxins in the plants and animals that animal has eaten, and so on.

When possible, choose organic meat and dairy products, and avoid farmed fish. As I've mentioned before in past newsletters a number of recent studies have found high levels of PCBs in farmed fish. In addition, they are treated with antibiotics and dyed with petroleum-based dyes. They also contain lower amounts of the omega-3 fatty acids that make fish a nutritional champ. Choose wild fish low in mercury, like Alaskan salmon and sardines. (For more information on toxins in fish go to http://www.ewg.org).

Vegfest: March 27-28th

Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion
10am - 6pm
Admission: Adults - $5, Kids 12 and under Free
Tickets available at the door

This annual healthy vegetarian food festival is an event not to be missed. Many people recognize the health and other benefits of vegetarian food choices, but they are not sure what to eat, what to buy and how to cook it. This festival provides all the support that people need, and it's fun too. With a kid's corner, books, and loads of food, there's something for everyone.

Taste free food samples from a wide variety of brands;
See cooking demonstrations by chefs from all over the country;
Hear the latest information on nutrition from these speakers;
Choose from a huge selection of books, including the new guide-book for vegetarians and the curious, Veg-Feasting in the Pacific Northwest.

I am a featured speaker at Vegfest, as well as a contributing author to the above-mentioned book, which you can also find at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, PCC and other retailers.

Produce Pick of the Month

Dark leafy greens - in honor of St. Patrick's Day! My most common refrain when counseling clients or teaching classes - eat more dark leafy greens!!! Dark leafy greens include: spinach, kale, collards, mustard, turnip and beet greens, romaine lettuce, swiss chard, and bok choy. Why are they so important? In addition to being a great source of vitamins and minerals, dark leafy green vegetables offer a spectrum of potent antioxidants that boost immunity and protect body tissues from the damaging free radicals that are so abundant in our chemical-laden environment. In other words, they will help detoxify your body and help prevent cancer.

Here are some easy ways to add dark leafy greens to your diet:

Stir into pasta sauces
Sauté in olive oil and garlic
Use in sandwiches or replace iceberg lettuce in salads
Add to soups and casseroles
Mix with sautéed onions and mushrooms
Stir cooked greens into seasoned rice or polenta
Chop and stir spinach or other leafy greens into scrambled eggs or omelettes
Add red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese
Saute and toss in pasta dishes with feta cheese and/or sliced olives

Recipe of the Month

Sauteed Greens with Toasted Pine Nuts and Currants

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Toasted pine nuts and sweet currants transform a simple side dish into a memorable accompaniment for just about any entrée. This combination is based on a traditional recipe from the Catalonia region in northeastern Spain.

1/3 cup dried currants or coarsely chopped raisins

½ cup boiling water

¼ cup pine nuts

1 ½ pounds red or Swiss chard (or any type of greens)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place currants in a small bowl and cover with boiling water; let plump for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid.

Place pine nuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 300° F. for 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside.

Wash the chard leaves and strip the leaves from the stalks. Save the stalk for another use.

Coarsely chop the greens. In a large skillet or stockpot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Add greens and stir to coat with oil. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved water, cover, and cook until greens are wilted and soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add currants and pine nuts; stir to mix well. Season with vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Recipe adapted from Greens Glorious Greens! By Johnna Albi and Catherine Walthers