Friday Night - Soul Eating and Gut Happy
“If we are not supposed to have late night snacks, then why is there a light in the fridge” -unknown -gotta have a sense of humor
We are taught that it’s best not eat late at night - 3 hours before bedtime - kitchen closed! Why? Because our gut needs time to break down the food in our tummy = better sleeps and we’re able to rest and digest. The less food in our tummy before we go to sleep the more sound our night is and we can even remember our pleasant dreams. I tend to get nightmares on a full stomach. Great research project paper in the coming on this topic!
This has been a challenge for me as I love nighttime snacking as I wind down from my busy day. And let me share that I work darn hard in the most loving way to eat mindfully the second I wake up. So, my nighttime snacking needed to be addressed because it certainly was interfering with my sleep - causing discomfort, tossing and turning and the aftermath of waking up hungry. Yes, when we go to sleep on a full stomach we wake up wanting more - stomach is stretched and wants to be filled. It’s a slippery slope my friends! So, what do I do on my Friday nights when our Shabbat dinner is served later in the evening and we commune at the table for hours - seriously hours in front of delicious food and catching up of a weeks worth of info and sharing stories. Btw, this has been our tradition since day one and let me tell you it’s worth the effort to make this a tradition in every home - even if once a week. It takes many times over to repeat a habit you want to create longterm - Dr. Phillipa Lally - health psychology researcher at University College in London - he and his team did a study on how long it takes people to form a new habit - 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit - in other words, if you want to set your expectations appropriately it will probably take you anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behavior in your life for yourself or your family - 21 days just doesn’t cut it! It takes consistency and persistence to change habits you want to create. And remember, it’s the process that counts - just keep on getting back on track. If it’s important to you then keep at the progress, and commit to your expectations for a healthy family in body and soul.
Back to food… lol!
On Friday night I focus on loads of cooked veggies - easily digestible and nutritious. I do serve a protein: chicken or meat and a soup which is usually my Friday Night Chicken Soup - recipe in my DinnerTable Family Headquarters Cookbook - dinnertablehq.com. Tonight, though, I’m going off the grid and making my Zucchini Non-Dairy Cream Soup - also in my cookbook and on my recipe site. It’s our family favorite. Actually they love my Chicken Soup, too.
Enjoy the pics and hope you’re inspired to incorporate loads of vegetables at each of your meals.
Love your veggies and your gut will love you too,
Genia
Kitchari - is a mixture of rice and beans loaded with vegetables and herbs and spices. Recipe for a Kitchari dish on my recipe page. In this dish I added basmati rice and adzuki beans with spinach and sweet potatoes - recipe is the same in quantities and spices for each ingredient.