It feels like spring has finally sprung here in Toronto.  Temperatures are trending up, the sun is shining and blossoms and blooms adorn our trees and gardens with brilliant colour.  Above all, there’s a freshness and optimism in the air.

Likewise, I feel I’m finally emerging from hibernation too.  My energy is improving along with the weather and I’m super grateful to be out running after an injury-induced hiatus.  Also, I’ve had no added sugar or alcohol in my diet for nearly three weeks now, which has helped tremendously.  As has the wonderful company I’ve had in this over the past week with the folks in my I’m Sweet Enough 7-Day No Sugar Added Challenge.  Their camaraderie and humour has made climbing back up my sugary, slippery slope way more fun.

So I dedicate this edition of Dishing It Up to new friends, new beginnings and spring!

The Spring Has Sprung Edition

• Bitter Tastes of Spring – Refreshing Greens from Dandelion to Radicchio
• Early Risers: 6 Recipes With Spring Ingredients
• Spring cleaning?  See Fewer People. Take Fewer Showers.
• Make Your Mornings Magical
• 7 Ways to Reinvigorate Your Spring Routine Using Traditional Chinese Medicine

A bite-sized summary and links for each story …

Bitter Tastes of Spring – Refreshing Greens from Dandelion to Radicchio
I love, love, love bitter greens.  Their “clear, fresh taste is refreshing and stimulating, not to mention healthy for body and brain. It is generally agreed that bitters support the heart, small intestines, and liver…” and “a balanced intake of bitter flavours is thought to encourage honesty, integrity, optimism and a loving heart.”  To initiate yourself, pair them with a little fruit (orange + radicchio or arugula + pear, for example) for a spring symphony of flavour.  If you’ve never tried them well, spring is a time for new beginnings.
Read more about bitter tastes of spring…

Early Risers:  6 Recipes with Spring Ingredients
From the LCBO’s Food & Drink Early Summer edition that just arrived, six scrumptious recipes featuring more stars of the spring harvest from now through June:  ramps (a.k.a. wild leeks), morels, garlic scapes, fiddleheads, radishes and rhubarb.  Rhubarb fans might enjoy my Strawberry Rhubarb with Banana Cashew Cream from last month’s I’m Sweet Enough Menu.
Take a peek at 6 Recipes with Spring Ingredients…

See Fewer People.  Take Fewer Showers.
Spring cleaning is “a thing” and I was about to include an article on spring cleaning your kitchen/pantry.  But then I thought “who needs more to-do’s?“.  No one is in your house right now anyway.  Which is why, it seems, people are also taking fewer showers.  “Doctors and health experts have said that daily showers are unnecessary, and even counterproductive. Washing with soap every day can strip the skin of its natural oils and leave it feeling dry, though doctors still recommend frequent hand-washing.”  So there’s one less thing you have to do every day.
Read more…

Make Your Mornings Magical
So, what to do with your newly found time in the morning now that showering isn’t a daily thing?  Alive Magazine’s May 2021 Challenge is Make Your Mornings Magical.  “Life can be challenging, but your mornings don’t have to be. The quiet that comes before others arise is the best time to charge your brain and start your day on a purposeful note.”  I totally agree so take a peek at their article and PDF calendar of daily ideas/inspirations and let’s “greet each morning with a new attitude”.  I’ve been rising with the sun and enjoying my newest tea from Pukka: Mint Refresh, a spring of peppermint, fennel and rose.
Read more…

7 Ways to Reinvigorate Your Spring Routine Using Traditional Chinese Medicine
“‘Treat an illness first with food—only if this fails should medicines be prescribed,’ famously advised Sun Simiao, the prolific seventh-century Chinese physician and writer. Centuries later, this tenet remains central to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practiced today, which is all about creating harmony within the body.”  Spring is all about proper sleep, gentle exercise and lots of veggies, especially seasonal, bitter leafy greens that support the liver.  Seems we’ve come full circle to the first article in this list.  😉
Read more …

 

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