The Greenhouse Project is pleased to announce an innovative lecture, Food. Health. Planet. The Connection! The program will be held at the University of Scranton, Brennan Hall, Pearn Auditorium, 2nd floor on Thursday, April 4th at 6 p.m. It will feature J Morris Hicks, who will educate us on the connection between our food choices and the health of our people and our planet. RSVP by email to empoweredeatingplants@gmail.com or on our Facebook event. The event is sponsored by The Greenhouse Project, The Environmental Studies Concentration at The University of Scranton, and The Hilton Scranton.
Topics: •The connection between our food choices and the health of our planet •Issues affecting the sustainability of our planet and the health of our population •Actions we can ALL take to make a difference!
J. Morris Hicks, is a writer, speaker, health promotion consultant and board member for the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. He is the author of “Healthy Eating, Healthy World,” and co-author of “4Leaf Guide to Vibrant Health”, and his focus has been on sustainability with the effort to promote health, hope, and harmony on planet earth. He holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Hawaii, a degree he earned while serving as a U.S. Coast Guard officer in Honolulu. He also holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell and the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.
Healthy snacks will be served, and suggested donation is $5.00. Free parking will be provided in the Pavilion at The University of Scranton. From I-81 Exit 185 (Central Scranton Expressway) to the Parking Pavilion (GPS Address: 820 Mulberry Street, Scranton, PA 18510):Follow signs to campus (on right).Before the first traffic signal, turn sharply right onto Madison Avenue. Proceed 2 blocks and turn right at the light onto Mulberry Street. After 1 block, turn right into the main entrance (level 2) of the Parking Pavilion.
J Morris Hicks, writer, speaker, and big picture guy
I was fortunate to to share my story this week with employees at The University of Scranton Wellness Day in my presentation, Go Green: Intro to Plant-Based Eating. I explained how I stumbled upon plant-based eating through the documentary Forks Over Knives and changed my lifestyle and saved my marriage.
I hope that the information I presented about the rates of chronic illness in our country, our state, and our county and the good news that chronic disease does not have to be a death sentence had an impact on the attendees. My wish is that they will add more whole foods to their diet and and try some new foods and recipes they may not have considered before.
In addition to talking about the science behind the health promoting effects of plant-based eating, I also demonstrated two recipes and brought two desserts so that everyone could sample plant-based foods. I promised to share the recipes here, most of which were from the Plant Pure Nation Cookbook by Kim Campbell. I love her recipes because they are not only delicious, but also affordable, and simple. The flavors, however, are rich and satisfying. I find they are great recipes to use when introducing people to plant-based foods to show we don’t eat just twigs and berries.
I often use The Creamy Kale Salad recipe to demonstrate how to massage kale to break down the cell walls and make it more palatable for those who find it a little too wild or harsh for their taste buds. It also provides a great opportunity to get at least a couple of folks out of their seats to don gloves and join in the fun. I received a lot of positive feedback about the ginger dressing for this delicious salad. The acid in the lime juice and the plant-based fat from the almond butter in this dressing really complement one another well and the ginger gives it a great zing along with its well known anti inflammatory properties!
Creamy Kale Salad, p. 107, The Plant Pure Nation Cookbook
I wanted to demonstrate a hearty, savory dish also, so I made one batch of Creamy African Stew to keep warm in the crock pot for sampling and prepped ingredients for a 2nd batch to demonstrate how easy the dish is to assemble in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. It is truly a no fuss dish as the ingredients can be added to the pressure cooker in no particular order and it cooks quickly in 6 min on manual pressure. Just stir and serve when the pressure is released! This dish has something for everyone with the richness of the peanut butter and the light coconut milk, the textural interest of the chickpeas, and just the right amount of heat from the curry powder. This is a very affordable dish at a total cost of $8.60 for 6 servings, or $1.43 per serving. One of the attendees loved it so much, he told me he was going to make it for dinner that night!
Creamy African Stew, p 266, The Plant Pure Nation Cookbook
Two of my favorite plant-based desserts feature chocolate and I made them ahead of time to share. Kim Campbell’s Chocolate Power Bites require very little prep and no baking. The only ingredient that is processed at all is the cocoa powder and it is a great party dish.
Chocolate Power Bites, p. 291, The Plant Pure Nation Cookbook
The second dessert was Chocolate Cream Pie from Rouxbe. This is a family favorite on the holidays and is more rich and decadent so just a bite was plenty for a sample. I made pie bites in mini muffin liners and the recipe made more than enough for the whole group. I pressed the pecan maple crust into the bottom of the liners and then spooned the filling on top, but I plan to pipe them with a pastry bag next time for a neater presentation. The other reasons I love to bring this recipe along to new crowds is to show that a plant-based diet is not one of deprivation and to showcase the versatility of tofu. Of course, this is not a treat for every day and should perhaps be reserved for special occasions.
I feel blessed to have been invited to spend time at my alma mater for my BSN, The University of Scranton this week. Thank you to Gerry Loveless for recommending me, to Dina Angeloni for facilitating the event and answering all of my questions, to my friend Lori Jewett for helping me set up and clean up, and to my husband, Scott, for bringing my Instant Pot which I left at home!
James Bolus, executive chef at The Wandering Hen Cafe and Market, did a fabulous presentation on Thursday, March 7th at Empowered Eating Group at the Greenhouse Project at Nay Aug Park in Scranton, PA. He shared his vision with us for healthy, local fare and his efforts to serve delicious food while reducing waste and using sustainable practices. We were able to sample his mushroom veggie burger served on crostini and topped with homemade tomato jam, fresh pea and beet microgreens, and crispy, dehydrated onions. He was generous to share this fantastic, easy, and affordable recipe with us!
Mushroom veggie burger recipe:
In food processor:
1 bunch parsley
1 onion
2 cups cooked chickpeas
Then mix in by hand:
1 cup mushrooms of choice (chopped and sauted lightly)
1 carrot (grated)
3 cups cooked sprouted black beans
2 cups cooked sprouted quinoa
1/4 cup flax seed
1 cup chickpea flour
1t baking powder
1t cumin
1t paprika
1 t coriander
1/2 t black pepper
1T salt
Place: The Greenhouse at Nay Aug Park, Scranton, PA
RSVP: By Email to empoweredeatingplants@gmail.com or Facebook event
Judy Rienzi joins us at The Greenhouse to share tips and tricks for growing microgreeens and her knowledge about how they can pack a nutritional punch to a healthy diet. She will profile a couple of microgreens, and demonstrate how you can grow them at home! Some of the delicious and beautiful microgreens you can grow that Judy has experience cultivating include broccoli, radish, pea, and sunflower. She will share techniques for growing microgreens hydroponically and in soil and share how to use them in dishes.
A 2012 study in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry notes that, “Microgreens (seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs) have gained popularity as a new culinary trend over the past few years. Although small in size, microgreens can provide surprisingly intense flavors, vivid colors, and crisp textures and can be served as an edible garnish or a new salad ingredient.” The study found that, “In summary, the essential vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of 25 commercially available microgreens varieties have been determined. In general, microgreens contain considerably higher concentrations of vitamins and carotenoids than their mature plant counterparts, although large variations were found among the 25 species tested.”
Judy Rienzi holds a Master of Science degree in Community Health Education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She is certified as a Holistic Health Practitioner, Integrative Imagery Practitioner, and has certificates in aromatherapy, plant-based nutrition, and vegan nutrition.
Suggested donation $5.00. The Greenhouse Project is located in the James Barrett McNulty Greenhouse, 200 Arthur Ave., Scranton, PA in Nay Aug Park. Please meter park on street or park adjacent to greenhouse and ask for a parking pass or in parking lots at Nay Aug Park. (Greenhouse is located southwest end of park across street and down from Geisinger CMC.)
Hope for diabetes! We are not doomed by our genes and there is an easy, inexpensive, and delicious way to prevent, improve, and for some, even reverse type 2 diabetes. Come to the Greenhouse January 24th at 6 p.m. to learn more!
Dr. Saul Rigau and nutritionist, Lisa Rigau, MS, BSN, RN will provide an interactive lecture about how a Whole Foods Plant-Based Lifestyle can be used to better control or even reverse your type 2 diabetes! Learn: • The difference between the three types of diabetes. • The root cause of type 2 diabetes. • Taste healthy plant based snacks • Bust some myths about eating carbohydrates. • How good habits can overcome obstacles to better health. Resources for people with diabetes will be shared to help you or your family member with diabetes take their health to the next level! Saul Rigau, DO, FACOEP is board certified in emergency medicine for the past 25 years, is Board Eligible for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and is a graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate,. His lifestyle medicine goals are to educate the public on how a change in lifestyle can help stop, reverse, or possibly eliminate chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Lisa Rigau MS, BSN, RN is a health and wellness nutritionist, who owns Healthy Lifestyle Management, a nutrition and wellness counseling firm, educating in the community for the last 16 years. She is a graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies Plant Based Nutrition certificate. Lisa is also a certified Mindful Eating – Conscious Living teacher and a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction teacher She and Saul have been practicing a Whole Foods Plant-Based Lifestyle together for four years. Suggested donation $5.00. Healthy snacks will be served. The Greenhouse Project is located in the James Barrett McNulty Greenhouse, 200 Arthur Ave., Scranton, PA in Nay Aug Park. Please park adjacent to greenhouse or in parking lots at Nay Aug Park or on meters in neighborhood. (Greenhouse is located southwest end of park across street and down from Geisinger CMC.) Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the US affecting nearly 30 million people according to the CDC as of 2014, and we have not escaped this devastating trend in Pennsylvania with 12.8 % of our residents afflicted. In addition, 3,505,000 Pennsylvanians, 35.8% of our population, have prediabetes with higher than normal blood glucose levels but not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes yet. We can all think of a family member, friend, or acquaintance who has been touched by diabetes and its serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, amputation, end-stage kidney disease, blindness, and even death.
RSVP by email to empoweredeatingplants@gmail.com or on the Facebook event
I rarely, if ever, have reblogged someone else’s post, however I felt this post by my friend Michelle Orrson, a two time cancer survivor and plant -based eating advocate, deserved a shout out. This post is from her blog,
Well, I made it to the end of October without talking about Pinktober, aka breast cancer awareness month. I have to admit that this month didn’t bother me as much as in other years. Were the pink ribbons not that noticeable, or have I become immune?
I fully understand the point of Pinktober, but many survivors get frustrated that the message has been pink-washed. I mean, how much “awareness” does one need? Is there anyone out there who isn’t “aware” that breast cancer exists? And what of those companies that don the pink ribbons, and yet, sell products that contribute to cancer? I won’t even get into all of the awareness messages that are all about “saving the ta-tas” and what not. Shouldn’t we be focusing on saving the person? I just ask that you be sensitive to survivors on some of these awareness campaigns. While good intentioned, just consider them from the point of view of survivor… who may not actually have been able to save her ta-tas…
Anyway, soapbox done.
Instead of continuing my rant, I thought I would share some facts to help improve your awareness. You know breast cancer exists, but do you know….
We lump (pun intended) all breast cancer into one category, but there are actually many different types, depending on where they are located (ductal versus lobular), sensitivity to hormones (estrogen/progesterone positive/negative), genetic makeup, etc. Some have better success rates than others, so be mindful of this when talking to your BC friends. For example: I had invasive lobular carcinoma, ER & PR positive.
There are multiple stages of breast cancerdevelopment, depending on size, lymph node invasion and metastasis. I was Stage IIIA, T3 N1 M0.
There are ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer! (Wouldn’t you rather prevent it in the first place? Or at least try?) These include: nutrition, exercise, weight management, not smoking, watching alcohol intake, and avoiding environmental toxins).
The best foods to stave off cancer? Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds. (Known as “G-BOMBS” by Dr Fuhrman).
Mammograms do not find 1 in 5 cancers and do not improve mortality. (I went faithfully and mammograms completely missed my tumor, which was stage III / 8 cm at removal.) Read: Limitations of Mammograms
There are alternatives to mammograms, such as ultrasounds (it was an ultrasound that eventually found my tumor), MRIs, and thermograms. Do your homework to determine which is best/safest for you, what your insurance will pay for, and the benefits/risks of each.
Men can get breast cancer, too — about 2100 cases a year, with almost 500 deaths.
There are also alternatives to breast reconstruction. More and more women are opting to “go flat”, but many women are not presented with this as an option at diagnosis and regret it later. I’ve been lucky to connect with women across the country as part of the My Flat Friends Facebook group. Here are a few articles about how many women are trying to spread the word about this option! CBS News: A Matter of Choice NBC Today: Living Flat and Fabulous
Hopefully you learned something new and are more aware as we close out Pinktober!
