Lunch Date Newsletter #28

Hi friends! It’s Wednesday again, which means it’s lunch date time! A day set aside for a catch-up of last week’s health news & recipes, plus a little bit about me.

In this post, you’ll learn…

• That many Americans don’t handle poultry safely when cooking…are you one of them?
• How long-term meditation may slow brain aging
• How to make lasagna in a slow cooker

And more!

But First…What I’ve Been Up To:

Sunkist sent me an incredible box of citrus fruits, which was waiting for me when I got back from my East Coast trip. I’ve already started playing with the fruit, and I’m going to devote a whole blog post to citrus recipes. It’s one of the bright spots of the winter, and we’ve got to celebrate it!

Yesterday, I preserved the Meyer lemons (they’ll sit for about 6 weeks until they’re ready to use) and dipped moro orange and pomelo wedges in melted dark chocolate with Maldon sea salt. They. Are. Really. Good. The Meyer lemons took about 5 minutes to preserve and the chocolate dipped fruit took 10 minutes. They look way more time-consuming don’t they? Fooled ya!

What I’m Reading:

Food, Nutrition & Health:

• Smoking’s Toll on Health is Worse Than Previously Thought, a Study Finds – The New York Times

Food Safety:

• Food Safety is Critical for Cancer Patients and Survivors – FoodSafety.gov
• Many Americans Don’t Handle Poultry Safely When Cooking, Study Finds – Health Day

Mindfulness & Meditation:

• Long-term Meditation May Slow Brain Aging – Medscape
• Five Minutes Daily to Inspire Healthy, Productive, and Purposeful Living – Caitlin W Howe

Exercise:

• How to Get People to Take the Stairs: Asking them to do so has more lasting effect than telling them, study finds – The Wall Street Journal
• Crowded Classes Test the Zen of Yoga: Rising popularity has made yoga studies a downward dog eat downward dog world – The Wall Street Journal

Parenting:

• Teach Your Kids Table Manners – Scholastic

Random!

• 24 Pictures That Perfectly Capture How Insane The Snow In New England Is – BuzzFeed
• 8 Surprisingly Down-to-Earth Wellness Tips from Cindy Crawford – The Huffington Post

What I’m Salivating Over: 

Breakfasts:

• Shake Up Your Breakfast With a Smoothie Bowl – Self
• Simple Baked Oatmeal Recipe – fANNEtastic food
• Apple + Granola Breakfast Cookies – Noms McGee

Breads & Muffins:

• Apple, Walnut Crunch Spelt Muffins – fANNEtastic food
• Fresh Cranberry and Walnut Pumpkin Bread – fANNEtastic food
• Perfect Corn Muffins – Smitten Kitchen

Snacks:

• Almond Energy Bars – California Almonds
• Crunchy Honey Roasted Chickpeas – Diary of an Ex Sloth
• Bees Knees Energy Bites – Love & Zest
• Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Granola Bars – fANNEtastic food

Main Courses:

• Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Meyer Lemon, Arugula, and Pistachios – Martha Stewart
• Slow Cooker Spinach Mushroom Lasagna – The Way the Cookie Crumbles
• Slow Cooker Whole Wheat Spinach Lasagna– Thriving Home

Dessert:

• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe – fANNEtastic food
• Apple Crostata with Walnut Streusel – The Cutting Board
• Meyer Lemon Cornmeal Upside Down Cake – Sunset Magazine
• PB&J Granola Cookie Clusters – The Nutrition Kitchen
• Chocolate Brownie Pudding – What’s Gaby Cooking
• No-Bake Healthy Chocolate Truffles – To Live & Diet in L.A.

See you for another Wednesday lunch date next week!

Question for you: Would you rather drink or eat an orange?