raisins – Page 3 – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

Standing over the cutting board, slicing olive flesh off the pits, I am drawn to contemplation once more. My heart has felt heavy these last few weeks. For me, late winter has typically been a time of drawing in, folding the blankets of life around me, closing the curtains, blocking out drafts. For whatever reason, this time of year leads me to risk less, to soak in my quiet hours of solitude, to ignore phone calls and invitations. I have fallen into this pattern once more, and am in need of getting out of my head, putting my energy to use on a cause less related to my own. I am reminded of my current tasks, the most important to listen for answers, though the urgency of the everyday often fiddles the knobs on my ears and speeds up the actions of my feet.

Yesterday was a warm and sunny late-winter afternoon. School was finally out for the week, spring break just around the corner. Ready for some dialing in to the right listening frequency and slowing down of the feet, I longingly looked out the window, ready to feel the sun.

One of my students walked in and in the space of only a few minutes, a forceful acknowledgement fell suddenly into my lap.

There are lives more challenged; basic needs going unmet. My own circle of worries bumps into other circles that are stretched further, weighted far heavier than my own.

In this moment, I willingly set aside my worries of the day-to-day. I set aside the fact that I cannot control the actions and decisions of others. I’m drawn back to focus on listening. Though I wish it weren’t so, these things, tough situations for undeserving people, happen for a reason.

Time, patience, understanding. Smoothing the blankets. Opening the curtains to let in the light, thoughts flow brighter filtered through golden rays.

There it is, spring is on it’s way.

Olive-Raisin Roasted Cauliflower, adapted from Plenty

Juice from half an orange

1/2 a head of cauliflower, chopped

1/2 a medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup mixed olives, pitted and diced

1 large or 2 small bay leaves

1/4 cup raisins

1 1/2 Tbs. garlic-infused olive oil

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

small handful fresh parsley, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In an medium-size oven-proof casserole dish, pour in the orange juice. Toss in the remaining ingredients, except the parsley. Cover with foil and transfer to the oven.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender, but still a bit firm.
Take from the oven, uncover, and allow to cool down for a few minutes. Stir in the parsley, and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

I first discovered muesli while on study abroad in Ireland. It was served at every continental breakfast, at all the B&Bs, and at every home I visited. In the supermarkets, there were ample muesli choices, non just one or two like stores here at home. Since I am already an oats-and-yogurt-breakfast-person, muesli was a natural step up to add more variety and fun to my morning ritual.

For those not familiar with muesli, it is a type of Swiss breakfast cereal that traditionally contains oats, nuts, and dried fruits. In the couple of years since I’ve returned from study abroad, I’ve started making my own muesli. Doing so gives me full rein to experiment with different fruit, nut, grain, and seed options. I seem to never make the same mix twice. And that is probably what I love the most about it. Serve mixed in with yogurt, similar to granola, or cook as you would oatmeal, and serve hot.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with different grains like rye and buckwheat. This mixture does have rye flakes, which are essentially the same as old-fashioned rolled oats, only with the rye grain. If you can’t seem to track them down, using all oats for this mixture works just as well.

Pistachio Raisin Muesli, adapted from Good to the Grain

1 cup whole pistachios

2 cups rye flakes

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

Generous 2/3 cup flame raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the rye flakes on a baking sheet and spread to a single layer. Toast the rye flakes for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Toast the pistachios on the stove in a small skillet over medium heat, until just beginning to brown. Remove and let cool. Chop the pistachios into small pieces.
Combine the rye flakes, pistachios, wheat bran, flaxseed meal, oats, and raisins.
The muesli can be stored in an airtight container. It will last for several weeks.