Daily Tasks
1. Remind yourself of the commitment you have made to be serious about the needed lifestyle changes that will boost your immunity.
2. Examine your last week. How many hours did you sleep each night? What time did you go to bed? What do you need to change to achieve the 7 to 9 hours of sleep, and be able to go to bed before 10 pm?
3. What sleep disruptors do you have in your life? What do you need to change to avoid them? What other habits can you implement that can help you in your quality of sleep?
4. What other forms of rest do you practice? Which ones do you think to be beneficial to implement in your life?
Recipes
For good sleep, it is essential to have a light supper. A toast with some vegetable topping or a natural spread. Just don’t use cheese, which would be quite heavy to digest. Light crackers with a piece of fruit are another great option. Try to avoid fats, and go light on proteins. Your focus should be on some light carbohydrates. Find some inspiration in the recipes below.
Crackers
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons fresh herbs of choice (I used thyme)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pulse the flour, thyme, pepper, salt, sugar, and olive oil in the food processor until evenly distributed.
- Add the water and pulse just until the dough starts to stick together (about 10 seconds). Remove the dough, press together gently with your hands to form a single ball, and cut into four pieces. Let the dough rest for about ten minutes.
- Roll out each individual piece of dough as thin as you possibly can. If the dough starts to shrink up, let it rest a little longer. You want the dough to get very, very thin. Once it’s rolled, place it on a piece of parchment paper and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Bake for 4-5 minutes, but check periodically to make sure it’s not getting too brown – flip each cracker piece and bake another 4-5 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the crackers sit in the oven for 1-2 hours to really dry out and get crispy.
Vegan Soy Butter
¼ cup soy bean flour
½ cup water
Salt
½ cup olive oil or flax oil
Add oil until consistency of thick butter. A pinch of tumeric or safflower added for color. Add other herbs as required and yeast flakes for an extra taste.
Garlic Butter
2 Tbs Soy milk
Salt
3 Garlics
1 cup Soy butter
Put remainder of ingredients in a blender.
Asparagus Soup
1Tbs vegan butter
1-1/2 cup celery diced
½ cup onion diced
2 cloves garlic diced
2cup cup asparagus diced
½ tsp. fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
3 tsp. tomato paste
¼ c coconut milk
4 cup unsweetened soymilk
Grill the asparagus lightly on a grill. Melt margarine in a saucepan.
Add onion, celery sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add 1-1/2 cup asparagus (reserve the other ½ cup for garnish) and garlic sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add tomato paste and coconut milk stir well then add soymilk, rosemary, salt and yeast flakes.
Cook on medium to low heat for 8 minutes. Blend all until nice and creamy.
Add the ½ cup of asparagus, and then cook the soup for 5 more minutes on low. Serve.
Quick Personal Pizza
This is more a guideline than a recipe, but it’s what I use when the family is hankering for homemade pizza but nothing but a few pantry and fridge staples to make it happen. Try to use the best and freshest quality ingredients you have available, and dare to try intriguing combinations (I like fresh tomato sauce, minced garlic, cremini, shiitake, and button mushrooms, caramelized onions, and thyme).
Ingredients
Crust: whole-grain pita bread, hamburger buns, naan, lavash, baguette, flatbread, English muffins
Sauce/Base: Simple Basil Pesto, fresh tomatoes simmered down with fresh herbs, or a whole head of roasted garlic smeared onto the crust with some olive oil
Cheese Substitute: (Optional): Daiya cheese, especially Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds, is a wonderful cheese substitute and melts down like real cheese
Endless Toppings: fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, red onions, green onions, artichoke hearts, fresh basil, zucchini, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, roasted garlic, asparagus, spinach, etc.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread base sauce on the bread, then add the cheese and other toppings.
Bake in the oven on a baking sheet or a pizza stone until the toppings and cheese are bubbly and the crust’s edges are toasty and crisp, about 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle a pinch of basil, oregano, or crushed red pepper on top and serve.
Ready in about 15-30 minutes
Makes 1 serving