I like to read before going to bed. For a while, we had a TV in the bedroom and ineveitably ended up watching whatever was on just before going to sleep. I often would dream about something I watched before going to sleep. During the last election, we started watching CNN before bed. The night I  dreamt about Sarah Palin was the last night I ever watched TV just before going to sleep.

But I digress. This post isn’t about TV or politics. This post is about the books I read. More specifically, this post is about the books that are sitting on my nightstand this very moment. It occurred to me last night that I always have an interesting collection of books on my nightstand. I’m typically not the type of reader that starts a book and reads straight through to the end. I like to peruse. I like to explore. I find that I’m interested in reading about so many things, and I’m always in the middle of two or three books.

My newest book, Savor, by Thich Nhat Hanh is wonderful. I’ve just started this book and will let you know what I think of it in a later post. In fact, I’ll make it a habit to tell you about all the books I find worthwhile, and I’d love to hear from you as well. If you’ve discovered a fantastic book and think the folks who read this blog would enjoy reading it, please let us know. I’d love to start our own virtual reading club.

What’s on your nightstand?

I love yams. But not the kind served at Thanksgiving with marshmallows and butter and brown sugar. I just like them straight-up.

I don’t consider myself a gourmet chef. I’m all about simplicity. Although I love the experience of eating (and sometimes cooking) an exquisitely complex dish, there’s something beautifully authentic and rewarding about preparing and eating simple foods. For me, every day cooking is about using natural ingredients, and preparing them in ways that coax out their unique characteristics. Simple is delicious.

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This time of year I start craving salads. The transition from Winter to Spring naturally encourages us to shift our tastes to a lighter fare (that is if we’re conscious about our inherent biological rhythms). I eat salads all year round, but I especially enjoy them in Spring and early Summer.

According to The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson, the Latin word sal (which means ‘salt’) is derived from the Latin word salata, which translates as salted things.  Historically, raw vegetables were eaten with a dressing of oil, vinegar and salt— thus giving us the word salata, or salad.

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I just discovered this video and think Mimi is a great example of how eating the right foods keeps us young.

Weighing in at over 60 pounds, my suitcase was stuffed to the zippers with hundreds of product samples that I picked up at this year’s Natural Product Expo West. Being a first-timer at this event, I just couldn’t resist bringing home the entire schmorgesborg of samples I was given at the show. With over 3000 different exhibits showcasing the newest products in natural and specialty foods, organic, natural living, health and beauty, supplements and pet products, this event was far better than Halloween ever was for me. I didn’t have to wear a costume, I didn’t have to say “trick or treat” at every booth, and exhibitors were handing out free samples to everyone walking by.

Not every product or company at the Expo was one that I would recommend. Just because someone says it’s “healthy” doesn’t mean it is. However, I met a lot of great people who are producing great products. In the coming months, I’ll be sharing reviews of some of the best products I discovered at the Expo, along with some enlightening interviews of the people behind the products and information about where to find these fantastic products.

Stay tuned.

There aren’t any magic pills or potions that can make you healthy. Let’s face it, if you want to be healthy, it takes some effort. I’m not a big fan of any product or claim that promises rewards without effort. However, there is one thing that requires very little effort, and has tremendous rewards. And I do it daily. More »

It’s great to see celebrity Chef’s talking about health. Jamie’s passion for giving kids a better shot at being healthy is evident in this video. It’s entertaining, informative and worth the time. Check out his sugar demonstration about half-way through the video. The video runs about 22 minutes, and is worth every minute.

I believe that each of us is solely responsible for who we are and the condition in which we find ourselves. No one else is responsible for any aspect of our lives— not our friends or our teachers, not our employers, not our parents, and not our spouses. I believe our current state of health is the sum total of thousands of choices we’ve made during our lives.
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This Delicious Journey: The intersection of real food, natural health and conscious living.

Welcome to a new day. Welcome to a new life. If you’re like me, you wake up every day thrilled to have another day on this wonderful journey we call life. I’m Christy Brennand, a.k.a. The Whole Chef, and I’m so excited to share my delicious journey with you, and I hope the path I’ve chosen and the future steps I take offer you inspiring insights and new ideas for making your journey more delicious too.

This blog is a ‘how-to’ manifesto for people wanting to live a more healthy life. It is forum for meaningful discussions about the foods we eat and how our eating practices affect our lives, the lives of our families and friends, and this planet we lovingly call Earth. This blog is about examining our crazy, hectic, unconscious ways of living, and redirecting our energies towards more simple, more fulfilled, and more balanced ways of living.

If you would like to come a long for the ride, and in the process be inspired to make positive changes in your life, please subscribe to this blog and become part of a community of people who will change the world through simple actions and mindful living. I cannot do this alone and hope that you will join the rest of us who truly care about our health and our world. Let’s join hands in this virtual space and support each other as we all traverse the hills and valleys of our own delicious journeys.