In the Kitchen

February 23, 2009, 11:12 pm

Because the Reflection Analysis said so...

The other day for lunch my mom made herself a quick bean salad. It came about because NutriMirror had shown her that she is consistently low in fiber. From her Reflection Analysis page, she clicked the “show me foods high in fiber” link and beans were near the top of the list. Mom likes beans and knows they are nutritious, so a bean salad it would be!

There isn’t a recipe for this salad, she didn’t measure ingredients or write anything down, she simply looked through her cupboard and refrigerator and then went to the market with an idea of the tastes she wanted, while keeping in mind her need for fiber rich beans.

She started with leftover chicken and sautéed onions from dinner the night before (yea, protein!). There were green onions in the frig, they would add flavor and crunch. At the market she decided to go with canned black-eyed peas (she told me black-eyed peas hold up well canned, they don’t get mushy), a red bell pepper for color (because tomatoes aren’t in season) and some fresh flat leaf parsley for flavor, texture and color.

The mix of ingredients was based on what she wanted to taste and what her diet needed. She used the whole can of beans, 1/4 of the bell pepper, 1 green onion, about 1 TB chopped parsley, and approximately 1/3 cup diced chicken and onion and a bit of the cooking juices (the chicken and onions had been sautéed in a little balsamic vinegar the night before). Some salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and viola! She had made a quick, fresh, no fuss lunch that was high in fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron –thanks to the black-eyed peas; protein from the chicken, and even more vitamins A and C from the red bell pepper and parsley. Mom had this for lunch one day, I ate it the next day with some crackers and there was a tad bit left for a small snack the third day.

This lunch was an experiment in many ways. First, mom wanted to eat what NM showed she was lacking in, with the hope of having a green day. Second, she wanted to use food that was already in the house; therefore the leftovers and the green onions. When she realized she would need to go to the market, she wanted to get quality nutrients out of the money spent –canned beans, bell pepper, and parsley fit that bill.

This post is more about how my mom used NM and learned from NM, than it is about the salad and which particular ingredients she used. What is NM telling you? What nutrient are you lacking in? Let us know what you need and we’ll throw out a few ideas.

And by the way, her fiber was green that day.

Stella was moms lunch partner

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