As the season turns from cold to warm, and Nature wakes up from winter's dormancy, it's a great time to revisit your goals for your eating and your life - time to start planning ahead, maybe even more so than at the new year. It's the planting season in the garden, and the planting season in our lives, no? Time to make plans, get projects underway, open the windows, let the fresh air in and get rid of what we don't need, in order to make room for what's essential.

They don't call it "spring cleaning" for nothing - this is the perfect time of year to clean both of our "houses": our dwellings and our physical bodies. Just as we accumulate "stuff" in the form of outgrown clothes, magazines, rusty bicycles, tools and random keepsakes, so do our bodies accumulate old food residues and toxins that need to be cleaned out.

To spring clean your body, give it a break from rich and complicated foods by either cleansing or fasting for a short period of time. Simply put, cleansing means paring down your food to just simple fruits and vegetables, lots of water and perhaps whole grains. Fasting means limiting most foods and drinking lots of water, fresh vegetable and fruit juices, teas and soups. Without much energy going towards digestion, more energy is available to the rest of your body and mind. Cleansing and fasting can sharpen your concentration, help you gain insight and promote spiritual awareness. It can also lead to improved immune function and better digestion.

If you're new to the notion of cleansing, take it slow, start from where you are, and lighten up -- it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. For example, if you've been eating a rich diet, with lots of processed food, oils, alcohol and caffeine, you can create a gentle cleansing effect by increasing your consumption of whole, unprocessed raw fruits and vegetables and drinking more water and herbal teas while cutting back on the heavy stuff.

While you're cleaning out your body and home, don't forget to spring clean your heart. Throw away negative thoughts and habits you've been harboring that no longer serve you. A clean heart will allow you to receive all the good that awaits you each and every day. If your heart and mind are cluttered, there is no room for life's gifts and surprises to enter in.

I'll be writing more about cleansing in upcoming issues, especially after I complete my own Spring Cleanse in a few weeks. If you're curious about embarking on a cleanse yourself, and need support along the way, contact me so we can discuss this.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
Pick 1 or 2 ways that you can lighten up and "spring clean" your body, mind and soul, and make it a regular habit. Some ideas: begin each day by drinking 1-2 tall glasses of water, perhaps with some nice liver-cleansing lemon juice in it; eat more fresh, raw fruits and fresh leafy green vegetables (like the dandelions below); clean out a drawer or closet and donate what you don't need to a worthy charity; tune up that bicycle and go for a spin!

Dandelions are just about the first green vegetable to "spring up." Many people view dandelions as a garden nuisance, but they are actually nutritional powerhouses and taste delicious. Think about it - what kind of energy would you absorb by consuming the leaves or roots of this tenacious, cheerfully flowering plant that pops up every spring and fall without fail? Their name actually comes from a corruption of the French dent de lion, or "lion's tooth," in reference to their spiky leaves; they're tough and tender, in the best sense of both.

We're fortunate now to be able to get organic, cultivated dandelions year-round at the supermarket, but you can in fact pick them wild as long as you're gathering from areas that have not been tainted by chemical fertilizers or herbicides (yet another good reason to let your lawn go organic, in my opinion). Young leaves, picked before the flowers come up, are the most tender and can be enjoyed raw; as they get older they can get more bitter and tough, so they may benefit from longer cooking.

The taste of dandelions is delightfully bitter, and for some it's an acquired taste. I believe we generally don't get enough "bitter" in our diets, we're so conditioned to eating sweet and salty foods that bitter can come as a surprise. Bitter-tasting foods can also help curb cravings for sugar -- they send a kind of signal to our brain to turn off that taste for the sweet. They're terrific in salads alone or mixed with other greens, and can stand up to strong flavors like goat cheese, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar, to name a few possibilities.

The dandelions from the store are usually pretty clean so they may just need a good rinsing, but if you're gathering your own they'll need a thorough washing. Cut apart their joined stems, dunk them into a large bowl filled with water, and swish them around so that any soil goes to the bottom. Repeat until they are cleaned to your liking. If you're using them in a salad, be sure to dry them in a spinner or with paper towels to absorb all the moisture - no need to do so if you're cooking them. Use the leaves whole if they are tender, or tear/chop them into smaller pieces.

Wrapped in plastic, dandelions will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Like all leafy green vegetables, they're low in calories. Dandelions are also an excellent source of Vitamin A; a very good source of calcium and iron; and a good source of potassium and Vitamin C.

The long taproot of the plant -- the scourge of lawn perfectionists -- also has many culinary and medicinal uses. Dandelion root tea is considered good for cleansing and tonifying the blood, liver and kidneys, and as a diuretic; the roots can also be simmered or roasted and eaten as a vegetable. It's all good -- even the buds and flowers are edible and supposedly tasty when dusted in flour and sautéed, which I'll definitely have to try this season.

For more on dandelions, go here. They'll be peeking through the grass before you know it, so get ready to start digging!

A simple, quick and delicious way to enjoy this harbinger of Spring. Warm dressings like this one tend to soften the bitter edge of the greens. Feel free to substitute different nuts and/or oils (try walnut or almond).

Serves 6-8



Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb dandelion greens, tough leaves discarded
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 TB organic extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 TB lemon juice (or substitute balsamic vinegar, umeboshi plum vinegar, etc.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: red pepper flakes to make it spicy

Directions

1. Cut top stem ends from greens and reserve leaves. (If leaves are tough, cut out as much of the stem as possible, otherwise, leave it in). Cut remaining greens into 3/4-inch slices. Transfer all greens to a large salad bowl.
2. For the dressing, in a small heavy skillet sauté garlic and nuts in oil over moderate heat, stirring, until garlic is golden. Stir in lemon juice (or vinegar, if using), salt and fresh-cracked pepper to taste, and red pepper if desired.
3. Pour hot dressing over greens and toss to combine.

(Recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market)

FREE PUBLIC SEMINAR!

Saturday 4/19, 1.00-2.00 p.m. NUTRITION FOR HEALTHY SKIN/lecture.

Have you ever wondered about the effects of your diet on your skin? The skin reflects the health of the body -- and when it comes to vibrant, healthy skin, what you consume is as or more important than what you use externally. Find out what foods truly "feed your face" (and the rest of you) to help you achieve a naturally healthy glow and prevent signs of aging. And, since what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body, understand why it's critical to use beauty products made from pure, organic, nutrient-rich ingredients.

Delicious & healthy food and skin-care samples will be provided, and attendees will be entitled to a complimentary makeup application using Ecco Bella Flower Color Cosmetics!

Location: Ecco Bella, 50 Church St., Montclair
Registration: Seating is limited -- call 973.655.9585 X13 to reserve your place

CLASS NOTES
I also just finished 3 successful cooking demo classes at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School. I had a blast teaching them, and my enthusiastic students really enjoyed them as well. Here's what Nancy G. had to say:

"I just wanted to thank you for the two fabulous classes, whole grains and last night's 'seaweed' class. Both classes were phenomenal! The food was all delicious and very easy to make. And I love that you are very creative and flexible about what goes into the dishes. My only disappointment was that the other participants liked the kanten dish--I was hoping to eat the entire pan myself. As I said in class, these two classes totally exceeded my expectations--I was truly blown away." Thanks Nancy!

I'm currently putting my teaching schedule together for the summer and fall, so if you're a member of a non-profit/corporate/civic/religious organization that would be interested in up-to-the-minute health and wellness information or healthy cooking classes, please be in touch. If you've got a group of friends who'd like to host a private cooking lesson or gathering in your home, that's a fun opportunity too.

Do you want to improve your eating habits, feel confident in choosing and preparing better food for your self and your family, find balance in all areas of your life, and experience a lasting increase in your energy? Not sure where to begin -- or how to stay on course? As a Holistic Health Counselor, I am committed to being your guide and advocate on the path toward health and vitality. I can help you clear away the clutter of old food and lifestyle habits so that your best self can shine out to the world. Working together, you'll learn to tune into your body's innate wisdom, find clarity about what really nourishes you, and move closer to the balance that's essential for accomplishing all that you came here to do. Please contact me to schedule a get-acquainted conversation.

email: shininglifenutrition@gmail.com

phone: 973.944.4878

web: http://www.shininglifenutrition.com