Fit For Life: "Why Can't You Be Normal?"
Matt Espeut, GoLocalProv Health + Lifestyle Contributor
Fit For Life: "Why Can't You Be Normal?"
Stats on obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are rising at alarming rates, so I am doing all I can to uphold a healthy lifestyle, and promote health to others by giving tips and information, so people can be informed enough to make wise choices. However it seems like I am a minority in this country, with fewer people think like me, than the ones that don't.
I recently posted on my social media channels a way to combat hangovers, and one of my followers jokingly commented that ‘you need to be drunk’ to eat the way I do. I eat quality organic food throughout the day and try to avoid processed manmade junk, so why am I considered abnormal to some? This comment came from someone with a freezer full of brightly colored boxes loaded with chemicals and preservatives, and because I won't eat this I am an oddity. This is what I deal with on a daily basis.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTI visited an acquaintance last week, and he had just finished his food shopping. He had unpacked his groceries then made a comment about how well he shops by holding up a half gallon of almond milk as if it were the Lombardi trophy. I took that as my cue to examine the rest of his purchases, and give my opinion, which he encouraged. Imagine how shocked he was when I pointed out that 95% of his food is processed, boxed, frozen, and loaded with preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, chemicals, and artificial ingredients. His response was "we can't all be crazy and obsessed about how we eat, like you”.
So I am crazy and obsessed because I eat well? Another friend called me a drill sergeant uncle because I choose to feed my nephew fruit and cheese over mini muffins and sugar cereal, and encourage him to play outside over watching TV. This is the mentality that we face each and every day. So if eating a quality diet, choosing not to be fooled by big food and their huge marketing campaign, by consuming processed manmade junk food, exercising on a regular basis, looking and feeling great are signs of being an outcast, weirdo, oddity, then I'm ok with that! If that’s what happens to you, too, then you should be ok with it, too! You’re in good company!
12 Fall Recipes With Classic Rhode Island Ingredients
Johnnycakes
Roasted red pepper, basil and parmesan johnnycakes
with Kenyon’s Johnny Cake Corn Meal
Our local specialty, johnnycakes (or jonnycakes, or johnny cakes, whichever way you spell them) isn’t just for breakfast, though we can’t deny they’re pretty terrific slathered with butter and local maple syrup. Why not go savory? Serve these Italian-inspired mini cornmeal cakes for an appetizer or halftime snack, with beer or cocktails.
Find the recipe here.
Fritters
Baked clam and corn cake “fritters”
with Iggy’s Chopped Clams, Kenyon’s Clam & Fritter Mix, and Rhode Island Red Hot Sauce
Even though summer’s gone, you can enjoy the taste of the beach in your kitchen year-round. Make these packed-with-clams fritters with canned chopped clams and frozen corn, Kenyon’s Clam Cake & Fritter Mix and a splash of zingy hot sauce.
Find the recipe here.
Nachos
Slow cooker sweet coffee flank steak nachos
with Dave’s All-Natural Coffee Syrup
We know what you’re thinking: my goodness, these look great, but what about the caffeine? We have the answer! Dave’s All-Natural Decaf Coffee Syrup, made right here in Rhode Island, is perfect in the slow cooker. These unusual nachos will wake up your taste buds and delight your friends.
Find the recipe here.
Meatball sandwiches
Rhode Island weiner spice meatball sandwiches (slow cooker)
with Olneyville NY System spice mix
Imagine our glee when we first discovered Olneyville NY System’s “secret” spice mix, packaged and sold in our local supermarket! In Rhode Island Recipes, we made appetizer meatballs dunked in salsa. Here, we used the slow cooker to make turkey meatballs, and topped them with onions and mustard.
Find the recipe here.
Apple cider coffee pork
Sweet and sassy slow cooker apple cider coffee pork
with Dave’s All-Natural Coffee Syrup
Easy enough for every day, fancy enough for company, this pork loin cooks low and slow in your Crock Pot. Coffee syrup is the magic ingredient.
Find the recipe here.
Pulled chicken roll-ups
Slow cooker coffee-chipotle pulled chicken roll-ups
with Dave’s All Natural Coffee Syrup and Rhode Island Red Hot Sauce
There’s a lot of Rhode Island goodness wrapped up in these sandwiches! You can make the chicken ahead (get your kids to help with the “pulling”), then stuff it together with your favorite cole slaw, or sliced apples, or avocado. Pack these roll-ups for tailgating or lunch on the go.
Find the recipe here.
Pot roast stew
Slow cooker root vegetable and beer pot roast stew
with Wicked Natural Caramel Mustard and Newport Storm beer
A cook-all-day recipe, this beef stew combines meat and potatoes, root vegetables and beer. Start this in the morning with just a few minutes of prep, and it will be ready when your pick-up football game ends in the afternoon.
Find the recipe here.
Vegetable lasagna
Triple-herb vegetable lasagna
with patty pan squash and carrots, with Mayor’s Own Marinara Sauce and Narragansett Creamery cheeses
Wednesday might be Prince Spaghetti Day, but any day can be lasagna day. This veggie lasagna, packed with herbs and vegetables and our great local cheeses, uses Buddy Cianci’s marinara sauce, which we love because it’s all-natural. Substitute your own homemade sauce, if you prefer. It’s a stick-to-your-ribs family-friendly pasta dish that won’t weigh you down.
Find the recipe here.
Linguini
with vegetables topped with romaine and feta, with Narragansett Creamery Salty Feta
If pasta is a staple in your kitchen, try this dish of pasta topped with salad. Think of it as your entire meal in one bowl! You can use any vegetables of the season, and a good, fresh feta cheese to add some tang.
Find the recipe here.
White clam chowder
Quick and easy white clam chowder
with Iggy’s clams
White, red, or clear -- where you come from probably determines your loyalty to one chowder or another. So what's a girl who was born in Manhattan (the home of red chowder), lived for decades in Boston (white chowder), and now spends most of her time in Rhode Island (clear chowder) to do? She’d create her own chowder, the quick and easy kind. I'm partial to white chowders, made with the addition of milk or cream. To enjoy this chowder year-round, we've used canned clams (our local favorites, from Iggy's, the clams we used in Rhode Island Recipes), and bottled clam juice.
Find the recipe here.
Maple syrup doughnuts
Maple syrup whole wheat doughnuts
with Chepachet Farms maple syrup
In Apple Valley, where one half of the Rhode Island Recipes team lives, you can smell cider doughnuts baking as you drive from one pick-your-own farm to the next. These baked doughnuts, with apple cider and maple syrup, might just be the best you’ve ever tasted.
Find the recipe here.
RI Hot chocolate
Rhode Island Hot Chocolate
with faux fluff, with Dave’s, Autocrat or Eclipse coffee syrup
After a day of raking leaves, nothing tastes better than hot chocolate. Kick yours up a bit with some (decaf) coffee syrup and homemade marshmallow fluff. Is it healthy? Well, no, not really. But it’s good for the soul.
Find the recipe here.
