St. Pete

Mom and Dad under the giant kapok tree - Museum of Fine Arts, St. Pete, FL.

Mazzaro's Italian Market

Amazing place....  smelled like 'grandma's grilled chicken at the lake' as soon as I got out of the car.  The workers were speaking Italian.  It was the real deal

Fish sandwiches, cannoli, espresso!

Bakery

fresh lasagna and pasta dishes - on the way to the oven

Panforte!

Panforte is a traditional Italian fruit and nut cake.  Literally meaning, 'strong bread', it is a very dense and chewy dessert that is actually low carb since it is flourless.

The version I made has hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, dried tart cherries, golden raisins, dried apricots, figs, and dates.  It's topped with a chocolate glaze.

This is so easy to make. Simply mix your favorite dried fruits and nuts with some spices and almond flour. Heat 2 tbsp butter with 3/4 c honey and 1/2 c sugar, mix thoroughly, put in spring-form pan lined with buttered parchment, bake at 300º for 55 min, cool overnight. That's it. Make a chocolate topping by melting chocolate chips with a halfcup of milk or cream and pour over.

Here's what I use. All nuts and fruits are roasted and coarsely chopped. Amounts are approximate.

1 c. - hazelnuts
1 c. - almonds
1 c. - pecans
1/2 c. - figs
1/2 c. - dates
1 c. - dried tart cherries
1/2 c. - gold raisins
1/2 c. - dried apricots
2/3 c. - almond flour (or 1/2 c all purpose flour)
cinnamon, cloves or allspice, nutmeg to taste
2 tsp finely ground coffee

mix thoroughly in large bowl

heat 2 tbsp butter (I use butter - canola blend), 3/4 c. honey, 1/2 c. raw sugar until sugar is dissolved and mixture bubbles.

Pour over fruits and nuts and mix thoroughly in large bowl.
Add a few squirts of chocolate syrup while mixing

Line spring-form pan with parchment paper and butter the paper

push mixture into pan, compress mixture with wet fingers or spatula

Bake at 300º for 55 min.

let cool over night

remove from pan and paper

make chocolate topping and coat:
boil 1/2 c milk or cream, reduce heat, add chocolate chips (semi sweet) until melted

coat and cool

Food

This post is inspired by my dad who today received a great report from a heart catheterization, an internal probe of his coronary arteries.  On the basis of an MRI, he was diagnosed with severe blockages in his heart, up to 80%.   Upon this more detailed exam, his heart arteries were not blocked 80%, but only 50% - not requiring a stent.  This was the best news possible!  My dad is making a new commitment on lifestyle and has lost 20+ lbs and taking on an exercise regime.  After 2+ decades of a terrible diet, and sedentary lifestyle, making this change at age 74 is better late than never.

People with disease, especially heart disease often have a 'life revelation' that causes a sudden change in lifestyle to increase their chances of survival - one of the many reasons why 'it's better to know.'  I predicted this would happen for my dad, and I'm optimistic that it's not too late, perhaps just in time.  I'm very thankful that my dad seeks regular physical evaluations because without it, he would never have assessed his risk or made the changes.  One of the healthiest people I knew, Roland - thin, fit, a long time vegan, farmed his own food, died earlier than he should have simply because he never went to a doctor.  His disease could have been treated if caught early enough and he should be alive today.

This subject of food is one that is so convoluted and controversial, it affects everyone and there is more dogmatism, information, misinformation, theories, science, and culture on this subject than just about any other topic that affects human daily life.

There are so many scientific studies regarding what is 'the best' diet, but so many conflicts and contradictions in the findings.  Also, the science keeps 'changing.'

People eat for different reasons, with different goals, and with different levels of importance.   I like the saying, "eat to live, don't live to eat."   Personally, I think that if food and drink takes a central preoccupation in one's daily life, you'll run the risk of abusing it ... (over eating/drinking).  If a person's first thought on waking is food/drink ... eating, shopping, cooking, restaurants ... i.e. when, what, where, how to eat, etc...  scheduling every aspect of life around meals... then I suggest such a person needs to get a more active lifestyle where food is incidental, and not central.   Of course, good choices and some thought need to be a part of daily food consumption.

I think most people will agree that it is desirable to eat a diet that will promote a long life with least susceptibility to disease.  However, that's not universal.  For some, eating is so important to the pleasure centers of the brain, that they willingly eat a diet that will shorten their life.  Like smoking, heavy drinking, drugs, or any other risky behavior - it's worth it for them.

Other reasons people eat certain diets are to enable a certain level of physical activity.   Whether a competitive athlete, or just an occasional hiker, diet can contribute to maintaining such abilities as we age.   However, diet alone won't do it.   There isn't any diet that will by itself help a person fight the natural effects of muscle and bone loss due to aging - sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

There are so many studies, so much dogma, and so many contradictions ... it's probably better not to open that can of worms.   There are so many skinny healthy meat eaters, and as many obese vegans, it's not worth trying to cite isolated examples of individuals.  Like the 100 yr old Greek who smokes a pack a day for 70 yrs and never sick a day in his life!  But suffice it to say, there is a lot of evidence that negates just about any dogma, especially the myth that meat eaters are inherently unhealthy and vegans are immune to disease.   Instead of citing a million studies... I'm curious about what the longest living people on earth eat.

There are 4 places on earth where people often live to be 90 - 100+ yrs old.  What's common with all these places is that they are all near the sea:  Okinawa - Japan, Sardinia - Italy, Ikaria - Greece, and Nicoya - Costa Rica.

What's common in all these diets?  Fish, locally grown vegetables, nuts and fruits, and a generally lower calorie diet.  None of these diets are vegetarian.  Another commonality is that these people generally are active and walk daily as a form of transportation in their villages or as a part of their livelihood.   In many of these coastal communities, there are lots of hills and stairs to climb.

There are regional differences.  In addition to fish -

• Okinawans eat soy, pickled vegetables, rice, a little pork, and green tea.

• Mediterraneans in Italy and Greece eat wild greens, tomatoes, garlic, cheese, olives, fava beans, and wine.

• Nicoyans eat corn, beans, rice, chicken, and tropical fruits.

There are also undoubtedly links to other factors besides diet.   Genetics and physical activity play a role.  In most of these places, you'll find active people, locally produced food, and a lack of processed Americanized junk food.   Obesity is very low.   Stress levels and lifestyle are generally relaxed.

Interesting stuff.

Sewanee weekend photos

After a foggy cool Saturday, and a warm rainy Sunday, Monday was sunny and nice... mid 50sº.  So, I got some wood cut, some training on the track in, and some guitar practicing at home and in All Saints church. Just a small dash of color remains after the stormy Sunday... the day of tornados in IL.

Emma Visits

My cat Emma may be in her last year.  She had reached the skin and bones stage, weighing just 4.4 lbs before I brought her to the vet.  After being de-wormed and de-fleaed, she was given fluids and vitamin supplements.  She now has gained a half pound and is recovering and eating well.  I took her to Sewanee for the first time to keep an eye on her.  Wow, she is so tiny.  She'll be 16 yrs old in April.

New Recipe

I also made Kind Bars.  Amazingly easy and good.  Too good.  Can't make them too often because they're addictive.  Really much better than cake, cookies or flour based pastries.  Since they have no flour, they have no gluten and are low carb.... but high in 'good fat' and sweet.  Basically just dried fruit, nut and honey.  So much better to me than any traditional cookie, and so much more healthy... not to say this is 'health food' ... but relatively speaking.  Cooking with parchment paper was a first for me.  So easy to make, so good.   Looking forward to trying the apricot coconut almond variety.  Amazingly, after eating most of 2 batches of these, I didn't gain any weight.  Well, maybe a lb.  I gave some to John and Nancy P.  They totally approved.  The second batch came out more crispy crunchy.

Hope my cat makes it through the winter.

France? No...

This is a street in the Bluff Arts district in Chattanooga, by the Hunter Museum on the Tennessee River.

There are some really nice restaurants and cafes in the area.  We ate at Tony's Pasta shop.   They even have a gluten-free pasta menu.

Upon arriving there, there was a large family speaking Italian, I guess a good sign for an Italian restaurant.

Below, a statue of Icarus on the riverbank.  (cell photos, not so good).

Great town, even in the rain.

Tea time in winter - on the patio

It's been a very mild winter... and I don't mind at all.

It's quite a treat to sit by the patio fireplace in January and enjoy 4:00 pm tea outside.

It's supposed to be in the 60ºs the next few days.

Tennessee Guitar Festival and Competition 2011 - music and parties!

The TN Guitar Fest 2011 was a great hang.

Awesome music, friends, and parties.

Here are some photos... click to enlarge.

Breakfast

A special occasion breakfast.


Valentine's Day morning by the fire - Arabica pressed coffee, flourless chocolate torte (low carb!), almonds, strawberries, bananas, 2 forks. Best Valentine's Day ever. One year ago, I met Iska on Valentine's Day.

I kept the fire going 5 days, til Wednesday of this week.

Actually, I've enjoyed this cold weather in some ways.

Thoughts on diet, weight control

I think I'm a "snap back" type of person. I allow myself freedom to get messy, eat poorly (within my fish-only "quasi-vegetarian" lifestyle), get out of shape... until BAM, I "check myself." What I mean is ... when my household disorder becomes too much to bear, I clean ... sometimes to the nth degree. It's like a short-lived temporary obsession. When I get close to being "clinically overweight," that is a BMI index of 25 or above (for me at 5'7", that is 159 lbs) I often up my exercise, and reform my diet. That sometimes involves a cleanse which can include some fasting. More about that later...

Diet is a very personal thing. Americans, especially here in the South, are some of the fattest and least healthy people on the planet. What works for one person, may not for another. I know that I tend toward being hypoglycemic and have tried many different diet regimens in the past. I DO NOT follow conventional wisdom all the time.

What is an ideal weight?
Depends on what you want to do. If you want to ride the couch for life, you can be obese and probably live happily into your 70s, that is, IF you have good genes, don't smoke, and have good health care. But if you want to be a traveler, athlete, hiker, outdoorsman, etc... you'll not do well as an obese person. Here's why (... and this is my theory).

Most humans are physically mature (on the average) by their late teens. During this time, your musculature, joints, and connective tissue develop to support your specific weight. Even 10 lbs more than you weighed in your late teens will put added stress on your joints in later life since your joints weren't "designed" for this weight. If you wish to remain physically active, you should endeavor to maintain this weight or less - your weight at approximately age 18. As we age, our bodies don't repair themselves the same way as during adolescence which makes weight gain even more debilitating to the joints. Of course there are other factors, weight is just one, but one that we have control over.

Here is a list of things that work, and don't work for me, along with some pet peeves.

Three meals a day
If I ate the "normal American 3 square sit-down meals a day," I would be overweight, absolutely no doubt about it. Some diet plans involve eating several small meals a day with precise proportions. On it's face, this may be healthy but I find that so much meticulous attention to eating is psychologically counterproductive. Simply put, the more you eat, the more thought you put into dieting, the more you crave eating, and vice-versa. It's hard to stay fit living a 'food-centered life.'

Great American Breakfast
If I ate cereal, bread, waffles, pancakes, hash browns ... any grain, flour, or potato based item in any substantial amount in the morning for breakfast, I would be seriously crashing by late morning, needing a nap or strong coffee to keep me going. The idea of a large American pancake and hashbrown breakfast is deadly. I might as well take a large dose of sleeping pills. It truly is like a drug to me. Sometimes, when I'm home with my girlfriend on a Sunday morning, I will take this drug - known as a "Cracker Barrel pancake breakfast"... and spend the afternoon luxuriating in slovenly slumber... falling asleep to a movie or football game. Been there? Conventional wisdom calls for a substantial breakfast that includes whole grains. Sorry, doesn't work for me. An apple, and a hand full of almonds is perfect. Or, simply tea with raw sugar. Just enough to keep my blood sugar stable.

Sweeteners vs. Sugar
I don't get it. Why do people who think they are informed and "healthy" put chemicals like sucralose and aspartame into their bodies instead of the meager 15 calories per teaspoon that raw sugar provides? It's gross, disgusting, unhealthy... like trying to get healthy from a pill. The only good news you'll get about chemical sweeteners are from their corporate websites. Sucralose (Splenda) was discovered by scientists doing pesticide research, it contains chlorine, a carcinogen, along with a laundry list of chemicals not found in nature. One recent study compares Splenda to putting pesticide in your body. Diet sodas are the worst because they contain aspartame which has clearly been linked to a variety of side effects including dizziness and panic attacks. Sugar is painted as evil. I agree, white sugar IS evil. Not all sugars are created equal. Raw natural sweeteners are absorbed by the body more slowly than refined white sugar and corn sweeteners. I use raw sugar and maple syrup as my primary sweeteners. People dieting tend to eat foods loaded with chemicals. For example, fat free ice cream contains: dextrose, palm oil, high fructose corn syrup, mono and diglycerides, polydextrose, inulin, microcrystalline cellulose, cellulose gum, locust bean gum, calcium sulfate, polysorbate 80.
Yuck.... not that I'm saying real ice cream is that much better for you, but... why don't people read labels? If they do, why would they consume such a host of chemical crap? I guess it's part of modern society where people think there is a chemical solution to any health risk or illness.

Fasting
I almost never do a complete fast for more than 24 hours. When I do, I may still drink a bit of juice to keep my blood sugar stable. When I "check myself" and start a weight loss diet, I often start with a brief fast and then slowly start eating raw fruits and vegetables - what I call a cleansing period. My most recent cleansing diet consisted of carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, oranges, grapefruit, and tea with raw sugar. I ate just these items for four days. With daily exercise, my weight dropped 9 lbs in 4 days - after ballooning up to 160 lbs during the holidays, down to a nominal 151. During these times, the digestive tract shrinks and the less I think about food, the less hungry I get and the less I eat. When I do get hungry, some tea with raw sugar eliminates hunger.

My Diet
Again, this is what works for me. And, I can say that it does work, proven by the fact that I am one of the only people I know that is about the same weight as I was in highschool and can (and sometimes do) wear the same clothes that I wore as a teenager... AND, I'm fairly healthy in that I rarely get sick, and I'm fit enough to have had success as a competitive athlete in my late 40s (age group awards in 5k races, national ranking as an age group sprinter). Soo... if it works for me, it may work for you, (especially the bit about eliminating most carbs and obsessing about diet).

• Carbs

I am an acknowledged "carboholic." I love bread, pastries, pies, pastas, cereals, potatoes, popcorn, chips, etc... and I've found that if I was on a mission to gain weight, these are the things I would eat at every meal. Because I am a carboholic, I avoid carbs. I don't bring them into my house. When I go home for the holidays to my parents, you'll see me stuffing my face with garlic rolls and pasta at the local Italian joint because it's something I never do at home, and I do mean never. I have not purchased a beloved miche loaf of multigrain Panera bread in years. If I did, it would be consumed with tea as toast with butter and honey within a day or two. I love it too much, it's a special treat that I have just occasionally. Carbs simply make me feel tired and make me fat. I have replaced starchy carbs in my diet with fats and protein in the form of nuts, fish, and occasionally, beans - I like chickpeas. I even eat dark chocolate in small amounts, which for me, is much healthier than oatmeal. They say that calories are calories, no matter the source. I say BS. Calories from starchy carbs seem to pack the weight on me unlike calories from say, juice, or tea with sugar. Yes, yes, I know, sugar is a carb but it doesn't have the same effect on me.

• Vegetarianism

I am not a true vegetarian because I eat seafood. Would it hurt me to eat chicken, pork or beef a few times a month? Probably not much, but it's a commitment I made almost 20 yrs ago for health reasons. The commercial meat industry is disgusting. Today's supermarket grade meats are so pumped with growth hormones and antibiotics it is amazing. Not to mention, "land animal" fat is not the kind of fat you want in your blood stream. Seafood offers a better type of fat. People are now eating fish oil supplements because this type of fat is healthy for the heart.
A pet peeve I have about vegetarians is that many eat high fat dairy products like cheese, whole milk, ice cream, eggs, etc... eating these foods in abundance pretty much negates the healthy lifestyle that vegetarians try to achieve. I haven't cooked an egg in 20 yrs but I will very occasionally eat baked goods that contain them. A good substitute for eggs in recipes is a mixture of soy milk and corn starch. I don't drink cows milk although I'll occasionally put it in my coffee if I am out and about.

• What I eat

One main meal. That's totally enough. It could be a huge salad with a small piece of fish, roasted or sauteed vegetables, greens and beans. Other 'meals' are snacks that could be a raw piece of fruit, nuts, or a vegetable like a carrot or cucumber. Sometimes just a glass of juice, (V8, white grape, and apple are my favorites) and sometimes black tea with raw sugar. I can feel absolutely stuffed and satisfied, eating a 2 crowns of steamed broccoli with sauteed onions, and mushrooms in spaghetti sauce (Classico brand - 50 cal/serving) - a less than 400 calorie meal with low carbs. For a snack, a colorful variety of crisp vegetables I take to work with me in a baggie: carrots, celery, red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, zucchini, etc.... or a celery heart with some spicy V8 juice is a great snack. Sometimes small spicy/salty veggie snacks are a really satisfying low calorie way to deal with hunger.

Overall, simple is best. Less refined, more fresh, no processed crap or chemically laden foods, smaller wild-caught low toxicity fish, and a creative and colorful variety of produce that includes fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, melons, greens, tomatoes, beans, squash, and of course ... dark chocolate.

• Weight loss

I've observed stages of fat loss. Most people, probably 95%, have a band of 'firm fat' in the usual places. When I'm actively fasting, cleansing, or dieting, it is usually because I am "snapping back" from a period of weight gain when I feel an excess of firm fat on my body. For most, these bands of fat will remain for life, which I don't think is particularly healthy since toxins can be stored in fatty tissue.

A chemistry professor I once had, who was an outstanding marathon runner into his 40s, noted that the human body must 'learn' to burn it's fat reserves. That is why I continue my exercise routine even when fasting or dieting, because my body has no choice but to burn it's fat reserves. It is interesting to observe the stages of fat reduction. First, the firm fat on my sides and abs becomes soft and jelly like. Then it slowly disappears. When I am running competitively, I try to get as light as possible without sacrificing strength, that means reducing body fat. My normal average weight is about 148-150. My best competitive weight is about 9 lbs less. 9 lbs in a 5k race is huge for me.

• Last word
  

Most importantly, don't obsess about diet. Don't make food the center of your life. Be a doer, not a sitter. There is always time to ride the couch. It only takes 20-25 minutes to get a killer work out. Even 15 min is better than nothing, especially if it is intense, like running 2 miles at 7 min pace.

Valentines Day event - Monteagle Winery

Valentines Day event

Free wine tasting, chocolate and classical guitar.

As a tune up recital for my upcoming concert tour, I'll be playing a concert on Saturday at 6 pm at the Monteagle Winery. (Details of the concert tour and sound clips at my Myspace page).

Here's the promotional blurb:

Dear friends,

Please join us at the Monteagle Winery on Saturday, Feb. 14 for free wine tasting, chocolate and classical guitar. MTSU Music Faculty William Yelverton will be performing a 6:00 pm classical guitar and lute concert. The Monteagle Winery is about 90 minutes from Nashville, or an hour from Murfreesboro on I-24 East, exit 134. Turn left toward Sewanee and the Winery will be less than a mile on your right.

The Monteagle Winery is now under the ownership of MTSU 's Dr. Tony Johnston, master winemaker. If you like wonderful fruity wines, chocolate and classical guitar, please join us on Valentines Day. The very diverse and entertaining concert program will contain guitar and lute music from the Renaissance and Baroque, as well as Spanish Flamenco and Brazilian jazz. Come and enjoy for free.

William Yelverton will also be playing the same program at Blair School of Music's Turner Recital Hall in Nashville on Wed. February 25 at 8:00 pm. The Blair School of Music is located on 2400 Blakemore Ave.

Another awesome paella

A mid-summer's night paella.

This dish came out well. This spanish rice paella had 9 lbs of seafood: 4 lbs shrimp, 2 lbs scallops, 2 lbs cod, and a lb of mussels. I don't make it the traditional way in an open paella pan, I saute all the seafood in garlic butter with parsley before mixing it with the cooked rice. Garnish with mussels in the shell and slices of lemon and red roasted peppers. I think it makes for a tastier and less dry paella.

Awesome.

These pictures are becoming cliche'...

Josh turned 30, Sliviu prepares to leave for FSU ona full graduate assistantship.

After a while, most everyone got in the pool and hot tub.

Happy summer!!

It's that time again

Tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes!!!


Well, you know what I'll be eating for the next few months. I have a dozen tomato plants over 6' tall. Love 'em!!!


Tomatoes and and humus, tomato sauce, tomato salsa over roasted vegetables, gazpacho... the list goes on. yum....

Tomatoes contain lycopene and have been shown to fight ailments such as cancer and asthma. Good stuff.

Awesome spring-like weather comes to TN. Don't you love it?

Flowers

Flowers are in bloom at Bill's TN Paradise this time of year. This week it's lilies and magnolia blossoms.

I really like these red day lilies (thanks Shirley), they kind of go with the red trim on my log house.



The tomatoes are thriving with the recent rain and the new cherry trees look healthy. I have small green tomatoes on the vine already and hope to be harvesting in a few weeks.







When the tomatoes start coming in, I eat 'em all the time. With a dressing made with fresh herbs crushed and ground with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. A mortar and pestle is essential. Sometimes I get a few lbs of home made humus from the Gyro Restaurant and spread it on tomatoes. I could eat it every day.

Summer is great. Bring it on.

Guitar Fest '08 - the final concert and party

The final party was pasta and wine.

In the final concert, John Johns played great. Matt Palmer was again stunning. For the 3rd time, he received the only standing ovation of the TN Guitar Festival. Funny, but by coincidence we were on the same plane on Friday to Atlanta. Me connecting to Orlando, him to Tucson.

I love this photo, from L to R: Tana (in all her sweetness), Matt, Silviu, me and students.

Matt and Silviu are likely to be the finest guitar students I will ever see in my career, it's great to see them together in this photo. Matt is most definitely one of the top ten best guitarists in the US right now (in my highly qualified opinion). He is an amazing player. There was video of his concert and I hope to see it on Youtube soon. Silviu is the Romanian prodigy who is graduating MTSU this semester and has already received several Graduate Assistantship offers from various universities around the US. Matt is finishing his Doctorate in Music at U of Arizona.

My pasta of the night was rigatoni with sauteed onions, garlic, mushrooms, olives, chick peas, diced tomatoes, celery, Italian spices and marinara sauce. As Matt said, "it hit the spot."

Paella, paella, paella!!!

Tennessee Guitar Festival 2008, annual paella party.

Paella is a typical Valencian rice dish from Spain. We are mostly "vegetarians plus seafood," so our paella is a seafood paella with saffron rice, shrimp, scallops, cod, clams, mussels - garnished with roasted red peppers, lemons and mussels in the shell. Lemon asparagus on the side. It was a hit as usual, amazingly good!!

From L to R:
Matt Palmer (badass guitarist, best Tennessee-born classical guitarist - ever); Fred Palmer (Matt's brother and marathon runner); Silviu Ciulei (MTSU Senior), Javier Castellote (MTSU Guitar GTA), Randy Reed (guest artist), Christopher Berg (guest artist), Andrea Dawson (MTSU faculty violinist), Valerie Hartzell (guest artist), Robert and Pamela Trent (guest artists), Jerry Roberts (Nashville guitar seller). Me... I'm the cook.

With news like this, I'm proud I've not eaten beef in 18 yrs

America's largest beef recall in history.

NYT:
"A California meat company on Sunday issued the largest beef recall in history, 143 million pounds, some of which was used in school lunch programs, Department of Agriculture officials announced."

Reasons not to eat beef:

1. Beef products, which are loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fat. Some fats are good, but NOT beef fat. Fat from any land animal is the wrong kind of fat. By contrast, fat from fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, recognized as good for vascular health and is recommended by the American Heart Assoc.
   
2. Virtually all commercial beef has bovine growth hormone in it. Reports have found extremely high levels of estradiol, “a potent cancer-causing and gene-damaging estrogen,” in US meat products (i.e. milk, burgers). For this reason, American milk and beef are banned in Europe.
3. Genetically engineered meat will become more prevalent now that the FDA has lifted the ban on cloned meat. Long term consequences of consuming genetically engineered meat is uncertain and may pose health risks.
4. Factory farms are huge polluters. They produce a staggering amount of feces that pollutes both the water and the air. Numerous studies and governmental reports have shown higher rates of health problems among people who live near factory farms. Farmed animals produce about 130 times as much excrement as the entire human population of the United States.
   
5. Mad cow disease is already in the United States, and the U.S. government is not following World Health Organization recommendations for ensuring that it doesn’t spread. Because it takes 10 years for the disease to show up in humans, there’s no way of knowing how many Americans have already been infected.
   
6. Beef production is inefficient. It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of edible animal flesh. Growing all the crops to feed farmed animals requires massive amounts of water and land—in fact, nearly half of the water and 80 percent of the agricultural land in the United States are used to raise animals for food.
   
7. The environmental impacts include: rainforest destruction in Central and South America caused by the felling of forests in order to rear cattle for the hamburger trade or to grow soya for animal feed, and desertification from overgrazing in parts of Africa. Also, 10% of greenhouse gases come from livestock.

Personally, I don't drink cow's milk or eat cheese, but on the rare occasion I use butter, it's organic and hormone free. That's the way to go. I'm sure eating yogurt or ice cream once a month isn't going to kill me, but there are excellent substitutes. Organic soy milk, ice cream and yogurt are awesome!

Healthy Sweets - Apple Crisp

Here at Bill's TN Paradise, a healthy lifestyle and a healthy diet doesn't mean abstinence from tasty sweet desserts.

It's all about ingredients that makes the difference. And if you're like me, you love sweet fruity and nutty desserts.

Here's Bill's Apple Crisp - low fat, no refined sugar, low carb recipe.






Bill's Apple Crisp with dried cherries and walnuts

• Wipe a glass pie pan with canola or olive oil

• Peel, core and slice 5-6 apples, since I don't add sugar, I use sweet apples like Fuji or Gala

• Mix with a couple tbsp lemon juice and dust with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice

• Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 min

While that is baking, make the topping.

Mix approximately:

• 1/2 c. walnuts (or your favorite nut)

• 1 tbsp. whole wheat flour

• 2/3 c. rolled oats (oatmeal)

• 1/4 c. maple syrup

• (optional: add a 2 tbsp ground flax seed)

Make sure the entire topping is fully moist w/ maple syrup - I never measure anything, all amounts are approximate!

Take baking apples out of oven. Mix in a hand full of dried cherries (better than raisins, they don't burn), put topping on a little at a time. Reduce heat to 350 and bake another 15-20 min or until the topping is done and crisp.

Did you know, walnuts have the highest Omega 3 essential fatty acids of any nut? Ground flax seed too is a great source. That is the 'good fat' - good for your heart. And.. use pure maple syrup, none of that Aunt Jemimah crap. The less refined the sweetener, the better. I never use chemical sweetners but sometimes, I use stevia, an herbal sweetener, it tastes great on fruit (but it doesn't work in this recipe).

After my last physical/blood work, I guess I must be doing something right. I've dropped 12 lbs and my cholesterol dropped from 223 to 150 since last year. I weighed 143 this morning, I'm feeling really light and fast. Looking forward to my next 5K race.

Cold weather food - Bill's vegetable stew

Bill's vegetable stew is not an exact recipe, it's different every time depending on what is in the refrigerator.

It sure makes a great and healthy meal on a cold day. I can't believe it didn't get above freezing all day here in Middle Tennessee.

Here's today's recipe:

• Destem and then finely chop one bunch of kale. (After removing the big stems, wad the kale up into a tight bunch and then chop finely).

• Put 3 cups water in a large pan, add the kale and bring to a boil

• Chop carrots, a bunch of celery, and an onion and add to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer.

• In a mortar and pestle, grind 4 cloves of garlic with a tsp or 2 of kosher salt. Add Italian spices, 6 pepper mix and add a little balsamic vinegar. Add to stew. This is the most important step of flavoring the stew.
  

• Add one can of vegetarian vegetable soup, a can of chick peas, and a chopped tomato.

• (optional - add fish or canned clams)

This stew is hardy, has low carbs, and is packed with vitamins and antioxidant vegetables. It is really a fallacy that adults need to eat a lot of carbs and protein for good health. You're better off eating more fats in the form of nuts, fish, and olive oil than carbs like bread and cereal. (You know, the good fats - like avocado, nuts, seeds, and fish - not the bad fats - like chicken, pig and cow/dairy fat). By substituting more nuts, fruits and fish for the carbs I used to eat, I've dropped 12 lbs and my total cholesterol has dropped from 223 to 150 - 73 points!

Despite the 24 F. degree temperatures, I had dinner by the pool this evening.

The secret to real Italian salad dressing

Bill's secret to the best Italian dressing

What is it about the south that real Italian food is so hard to find? I'm talking about family-owned Italian restaurants that have been in business 50+ years, whose traditional recipes come straight from the old country. Sorry, but chains like Carraba's, Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden just don't cut it. This is painfully clear when you ask for Italian dressing and they give you some white, mayonnaise-based crap . . . gross! There is no such thing as 'creamy Italian dressing' in my book. (And guess what, there is nothing from Italy called "Alfredo sauce" - completely an American invention, probably by Shoney's)

Although traditional Italian is just oil and vinegar, Italian family restaurants improved on that theme with a tradition of making their own great dressings by adding garlic and spices. Now you can have that Italian dressing with great garlic and herb flavor but you must have the tools and #1 is: the mortar and pestle (photo). So, here's how you do it, it takes less than 5 minutes:

Basic method -

1. Get one or two pealed cloves of fresh garlic and a few teaspoons of Kosher salt or coarse sea salt and put them in the mortar.
   
2. Grind with pestle until garlic and salt become a paste.
   
3. Add fresh extra virgin olive oil and Italian spices (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary).
   
4. Grind some more, infusing the oil with the garlic and spices.
   
5. Add red wine or balsamic vinegar, grind some more and presto, you're done.

There you have it. A great salad dressing, dipping sauce or marinade. Great for grilling too. The proportion to oil and vinegar is a personal choice, I prefer 50/50 but most people like slightly more oil than vinegar.

Variations - for a more Mediterranean flavor, add lemon juice instead of vinegar. For a summer salad (like spinach with pear, died cranberries and nuts) add orange juice and a few drops of sesame oil. For spicy marinades, grind hot pepper in with the mix. Add honey for a sweeter dressing. You can also grind raw peeled ginger with honey and sesame oil, add rice wine vinegar for a great Asian dressing. The possibilities are endless, but you gotta have the mortar and pestle.

The bottom line is - the only way to prepare garlic is to grind it into a paste with a mortar and pestle. It is the best way to completely infuse the olive oil with the flavor of Italian spices and garlic. Garlic presses, minced, or smashed garlic just isn't as good. And stay the hell away from pre-pealed, and/or pickled garlic. It has to be fresh. Speaking of fresh, try Penzey's for great quality spices. Good spices make a difference.

This is from a guy who lives on salads... happy, healthy and flavorful eating!