Notes from the Lake

February is National Heart Month, making this an ideal time to think about your cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are the number one cause of death in America. Unfortunately, many believe that their only prevention and treatment options are invasive procedures, expensive prescriptions, or being blessed with good genes. However, take heart (pun intended) in knowing that there are many simple ways to improve your cardiovascular health.

Eat Breakfast
Since the nutrients found in whole grains help regulate blood pressure, start your day by enjoying a bowl of whole-grain and high-fiber cereal such as bran flakes, oats or shredded wheat. As added benefits, those who eat a heart-healthy breakfast feel more energetic throughout the day, are therefore more active and subsequently find it easier to maintain an appropriate healthy weight.

Take a Walk
Speaking of being active, moderate exercise, such as walking 30 minutes a day, dramatically cuts the risk of heart disease by improving cardiovascular functioning and strengthening your heart so it becomes more resilient to daily stressors. Consider creative ways you could add activity to your day such as using “foot power” for errands, mowing your own lawn, or playing with your dog or kids.

Eat a Piece of Fruit
Fruits are convenient snacks and excellent sources of vitamins and minerals; plus, they are low in calories and rich in dietary fiber. Soluble fiber, the type found in apples, bananas, strawberries, etc., can help lower your cholesterol thereby reducing your risk of heart disease. You will achieve the same benefits by eating vegetables if that’s your preference.

Find a Few Minutes of Personal Quiet Time
“Stop and smell the roses” is not just a well-known saying; it’s also good advice. When you “stop” for even a few minutes, the effects are immediate: your heart beats slower, your blood pressure normalizes, and your mind clears. In addition, those who consistently find peaceful moments also find it easier to give up unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and overeating.

Laugh
Laughter may really be the best medicine—laughing boosts blood flow by more than 20-percent, which is a similar effect to that of aerobic activity. A fast blood flow shows that your arteries are wide open and supplying the heart and the entire body with blood. So, read the comics, rent a funny movie and chuckle often with your buddies because hearty laughter leads to a healthy heart!

It’s a bit nippy outside today, by Texas standards at least, and there’s a persistent, but welcome - rain is always welcome in Texas - drizzle emanating from our normally sky blue heavens. The gardens, mostly bright green rows of kale, chard, bok choy and the dozen or so different lettuces that Trisha plants every year, are particularly appreciative, as is the lake. As for myself, however, although the rain drops dripping crystal from the leaves and the fog rising off the water in the gray green light exert their quiet, peaceful pull, well, my mind’s eye is already turning to the spring and summer. The gardens I see burgeon with an abundance of tomatoes, basil, and corn. And somewhere in the background there’s a peach orchard, heavy with soft, golden fruit. I’ve always been a dreamer of sorts, but this is purposeful, necessary dreaming, because, almost before that mind’s eye can blink, the new season will be upon us, imagination will segue into reality, and we will need new recipes to advantage the new bounty.

Tomatoes and basil are almost a universe unto themselves, to be left for another time, and so, for today at least, we ponder the possibilities for a toothsome ear of corn, or a succulent, just picked peach. Both are abundant in Texas when the weather is right, and both are perhaps at their very best simply eaten out of hand - the corn generally steamed or roasted - and we will be doing some of that for sure. But there are other, equally irresistible, choices.

Right now, I’m seeing "esquite", a Mexican snack of fresh corn cut from the cob and tossed with fresh green chiles, grated cheese, lime, and Mexican crema. I’m seeing fresh corn bisque with lobster, creamed corn with smoked pork, succotash, a truffled corn coulis under grilled halibut and chorizo. A summer garden gratin with pecan pesto.

And what about a peach/blackberry breakfast bread pudding? Grilled salmon with peach chutney and a corn hoe cake? Peach and heirloom tomato salad, peach and tarragon chicken? Peach and strawberry short cake, peaches’n cream pudding cake? And peach ice cream, for goodness sakes!

All, and more, being dreamed up right now for our new spring and summer menus. So do a little dreaming of your own, why don’t you, and then come on down for a visit to help us celebrate and taste the new season.

Recipes:

Stone Fruit Gazpacho

4 cups skinned, sliced peaches - fresh or frozen
2 cups sliced nectarines
2 cups sliced plums
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, chunked
1 cup chopped onion
1 roasted red bell pepper, peeled, seeded
1 roasted yellow bell pepper, peeled, seeded
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup chopped mint
1 Tablespoon salt
4-6 cups peach nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
Tabasco to taste

Puree fruits, vegetables, sugar and vinegar. Thin as needed with nectar. Add oil. Correct seasoning. Chill. Serves 20-24.

Esquite

6 ears fresh corn, shucked
Non-stick spray
Salt
3/4 cup 2% mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons fat free half & half
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lime juice (or to taste)
1 poblano chile, grilled, skinned, seeded, diced (you will need 1/4 cup, or to taste)
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
Paprika or chili powder for garnish
Lime wedges

Spray the corn, season lightly with salt, then grill until some of the kernels begin to color. Cool slightly, then strip this corn from the cob with a sharp knife and combine with the remaining ingredients through the cilantro. Serve in cups, garnished with paprika or chile powder and a lime wedge. Serves 6.

You may have heard the claim by some researchers that many people experience depressive symptoms at this time of year. Reasons include: less daylight, limited opportunity for outside activities, post-holidays letdown, coming to terms with higher energy expenses and bills from gift-buying.

You may have also heard that exercise is an easy antidote for relieving depression and you may be wondering if this is true and if so, how does it work?

Short answer—yes, it is true! Exercise eases the symptoms of depression because activity increases the production of chemicals and endorphins in the brain that make us feel good. In addition, consistent workouts typically lead to weight loss and increased energy that gives us a boost in self-esteem and a more positive outlook on life.

If you’re looking for a simple, natural and no cost way to chase away the winter blues, try exercising. You’ll soon feel better physically and emotionally!

The cooler and wetter winter we are experiencing took me by surprise. A mild, wet winter was predicted, so I took a few gambles…and lost. I decided to plant some citrus trees in the spa gardens last summer. Several lemon and Kaffir lime trees over wintered beautifully last year so I embraced the idea of global warming and planted some iffy things. They look pretty sad but may still survive.  I am leaving them as is until they send out new foliage and then will trim based on where they leaf out. We experienced a few nights with lows of 13 and 16 degrees. Even with covers the citrus trees burned badly.

One thing that has been amazing this winter is Marathon broccoli. The heads of broccoli are large, so dark green they are almost purple and the flavor is surprisingly sweet and delicious. Our winters have been so warm and dry for the last few years that I stopped planting Brussels sprouts and cabbage since they need consistent cool temperatures to produce well. They were a waste of garden space for me. This year they would have been great.

I roasted half of the head and made a broccoli and carrot salad with the other half. Both meals were wonderful. This broccoli will certainly be planted again next year.

Many gardeners remove broccoli plants immediately after harvesting the main stalk. If you leave them in the garden the plants will continue to put on new smaller side shoots for several weeks. I can cut four to five side shoots a week from each plant so I get more broccoli from the side shoot harvest than from the main head. Harvest them before the flowers start to open to ensure continued production.

I tried several new mustard green varieties this year. Red mustard has beautiful purple leaves that would look good as a backdrop to flowers. I am planning to use it with yellow and purple “Patricia” pansies. Oh, and it tastes great too! I experimented with green and red lacy leaved mustards also.

I remember having mustard greens as a child and did not care for them. These new varieties are much milder tasting and I am enjoying experimenting with them in the kitchen.

Mizuna is an Asian type mustard that I have grown and used for many years. It is one of my favorite additions to salads when the leaves and small and tender. Mibuna is a related variety that I tried for the first time this year and it is excellent for stir fries and sautéing.

My favorite new mustard is Tendergreen. It is a cross between spinach and mustard and has the sweetness of spinach and just a hint of the sharper mustard taste. It is wonderful in Saag, an Indian curried greens dish. This is going to find a place in my garden every year from now on.

I filmed a segment on mustard greens for Central Texas Gardener and will include a link to the show and some mustard recipes for you when production is completed.

I don’t know a lot about quantum physics, but I’m pretty sure about this: the meaningful future does not simply stretch outward in front of us like some string tight West Texas highway ever narrowing towards an elusive horizon. The cyclical nature of the universe, of life, on scales both grand and wee, equally informs what lies ahead. And so, quite often, when I’m looking for inspiration, something new in the kitchen, I set my sights behind for something old. Something that has been set aside as the price of ‘Progress’, an idea or a food stuff that deserves a re-examination, a dusting off, a re-polishing, a resuscitation if you would, in the name of a better and brighter tomorrow. So it is with bread and soup. Homemade bread, homemade soup. Two of our oldest, best ideas. The epitome, each, in fact, of frugality and imagination wrought together to produce goods that are ‘Good’ in a measure of uncommon magnitude. And no accident, this, that they pair so symbiotically together, embodying all that we might ever hope to enjoy as true ‘sustenance’.

Up until, and perhaps through, if you were fortunate, your grandma’s day, everybody made their own, for all kinds of good reasons. Reasons that are equally, if not more valid today. Economy. Exercise. Nutrition. Tradition. Taste. Time to reconsider, me thinks, the sodden, store-bought loaf, the unfortunate liquid held captive in the can. Time for the savory vapors emanating from the pot and the almost tactile aromas of bread baking in the oven to waft once again through open windows into our neighborhoods, into our senses, our sensibilities and our souls.

And did I mention that it’s ‘silly’ easy, as well? Following are a bread recipe that I’ve made time and again over the years, always to good result, and a soup that we serve at the resort regularly during the cooler months whose restorative powers, no matter the weather, never fail. Freeze either one. And go forth into this new year with an open mind, a happy heart, and a hunger for all good things past, present and future.

Recipes:

Split Pea, Chive and Parsley Soup with Smoked Trout

3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups dried slit peas, rinsed
2 tablespoons flour, dissolved into 1/4 cup water
1/4 cup minced chives
1/2 cup minced parsley
salt as needed
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
3/4 cup smoked trout, flaked

Saute the onion and celery with the oil in a soup pot until softened. Add the garlic for a few seconds, then add the stock trough the dried peas. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer untilt he peas are very tender. Whisk in the flour/water mixture. Whisk in the chives and parsley. Puree all, in batches. Correct seasoning. Serve each bowl hot, garnished with a few whole green peas and some smoked trout.

Serves 10.

Cuban Water Bread

2 packages dry yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 cups luke warm water
6-7 cups flour
1 teaspoon olive oil
some cornmeal

Combine the yeast, sugar, salt and water in medium sized bowl. Let stand until foamy (10 minutes). Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough flour to make a sticky, soft dough. Turn this out onto a floured board and knead, incorporating additional flour until the dough is firm and elastic (7-8 minutes).

Grease a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough, cover with a kitchen cloth and set in a warm place (the top of the refridgerator is good) to rise until doubled in size (60-90 minutes).

Punch the dough down and divide into two loaves, round or elongated, as you choose.

Spray a baking sheet with pan spray, sprinkle with cornmeal and top with the loaves. Cover, let rise 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange two shelves in your oven; one down low, the other middle to upper middle with enough space between to hold a pot of boiling water.

Now bring that pot of water to a boil. With a sharp knife, cut a couple of slashes in the tops of the loaves.

Place the water pot on the bottom shelf, the bread on the upper shelf. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees F.

Bake for 45 minutes. Cool.

If you resolved to start exercising, the following hints may help you keep that resolution:

If you have been inactive, start slowly by exercising in brief segments—for some, 10 – 15 minutes may be enough for a few workouts while others may need to keep it short for a few weeks.

Take it easy until your body adapts to the new demands. Work at a moderately challenging level until you feel ready to raise the intensity.

If you are not quite sure what activity is best for you, first recall why you resolved to start exercising—to lose weight, improve conditioning, do something different, socialize, keep busy, etc.

Then ask yourself the following questions to discover some options that fit your personality and coincide with your initial reason to start exercising:

Do you enjoy group settings or a team atmosphere?

Does exercise seem like the perfect opportunity to find some private time for yourself?

Are you competitive?

Do you enjoy the outdoors or would you prefer a climate-controlled setting?

Are you motivated by goals?

After considering these questions, three individuals interested in biking might choose three different ways to enjoy this activity:

For the person desiring group settings and climate-control, indoor cycling would probably be a good fit.

Someone who looks forward to being alone and connecting with nature might choose leisurely and solitary bike rides outdoors.

Anyone with a competitive spirit might elect to join a recreational racing team.

Whatever activity or exercise option you choose, ease into your routine slowly, listen to your body, and repeat what makes you smile.

Happy New Year! I cannot believe it is already 2010. With the beginning of the New Year, comes a time of reflection and change. A set aside time to think of what you have accomplished this past year and what you want to accomplish this new year.

The spa is no different. We are excited to replace a few of our treatments with new treatments on the menu of services! This is our time to reflect on what worked last year and what didn’t and bring new energy to the LakeHouse Spa. I am super excited about them and am going to give you the insider scoop.

There are 5 new body treatments, 8 new facial treatments, and one amazing new acupuncture treatment. Beginning with the acupuncture and body treatments, I will follow up with our lead esthetician for more information on the facials in my next blog post.

The Muscle Tension Melt: the therapist starts by warming up your muscles with a hot compress filled with herbs that soak into your skin and enable you to relax much deeper. Then, your body is massaged using lavender and chamomile oil. This treatment is great before bed or for anyone who wants a little extra heat on their muscles before massage.

The Eucalyptus Uplift is great for helping allergies or boosting the immune system. With the combination of eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree and pine, your senses are soothed and cleared. This treatment includes a finishing wrap to allow all of the aromatherapy oils to soak into your skin.

The Seven Centers for Chakra Massage is a fantastic combination of massage and energy work. It provides each person with a different state of being and will balance out "chakras." The first half of the treatment process is used to explain a key phrase to introduce the oils. Each chakra has different oils and strokes to help balance, soothe and re-align your chakras. This treatment is great for those people who want an experience or journey out of their massage, or for those who love energy work and massage combined.

The Tour of Asia… Either you never had acupuncture, or if you have and love every treatment Aaron, our acupuncturist, has to offer, this is the treatment for you! The Tour of Asia is a little bit of everything and can be modified to your needs during the 110-minute treatment period. Oftentimes, 50 minutes flies by quickly, so let him build a session for you that includes all his different techniques catered to what you need!

Finally, we have a newly-added group of results-driven body treatments. This includes is the Advanced AHA Anti-Aging Body Treatment, a peel using AHA, which is a less abrasive acid, commonly known as the “forgiving acid”. This pumps your skin into motion to hydrate and even out your skin tone. The powerful product soaks through your skin, absorbing moisture and regenerating skin cells.

The CoffeeBerry Natural Slimming Body Treatment is another results-driven body treatment that targets cellulite. It is not as relaxing as some of the other treatments as it is focuses on targeted areas of the body: the hips, thighs, glutes and stomach. Invigorating techniques are used to break up cellulite, and it finishes with massage to flush out. Take home some of the product used during the treatment to help minimize the appearance of cellulite!

All of these treatments are new, and now is the time of year to try new things! Reflect on your past visits and what you loved about them. I encourage you to welcome New Year and think about trying something different!

To read more about our new body treatments, visit lakeaustin.com/newmenu!

As 2010 begins, many view the New Year as an ideal opportunity to make a change—so we resolve to lose weight, start exercising, or stop smoking. Unfortunately, despite their best intentions, most abandon their resolutions within a few weeks.

When explaining their failure, some blamed outside forces, “There were tasty temptations all around me;” others cited a lack of knowledge, “I couldn’t figure out those machines at the gym;” and many simply chose the generic character flaw, “I didn’t have the willpower.” Although these explanations might seem reasonable, they may not tell the full story.

Maybe you’ve heard the joke:

How many Psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one, but the light bulb has to really want to change.

Jokes aside, research shows that resolution success typically occurs when an individual really wants to change and is also ready to make a change.

What if you resolved to start exercising regularly? How would you know if you were really ready to change? The following checklist might help:

Directions: Place a check mark next to the ONE statement that best matches your current exercise habits.

_______I do not exercise regularly and I am not thinking about changing my exercise habits.

_______I do not exercise regularly, but I would like to exercise more consistently.

_______I do not exercise regularly, but I have started making small changes in my physical activity (such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.)

If you checked the first statement, you are in the Pre-contemplation Stage and not really ready to make a change. To move forward with your resolution, you would need persuasive information that change is beneficial and concrete evidence that change is even necessary.

If you checked the second statement, you are in the Contemplation Stage and almost ready. To take the first step, you would need to know what would be involved in making the change and the will to incorporate these necessary changes.

If you checked the last statement, you are in the Preparation Stage and only lacking a specific plan. Once you received guidance, you’d be on your way to initiating action!

Modify the above checklist to gauge readiness for other behaviors by replacing the word “exercise.” For example, if you wanted to determine if you were ready to stop smoking, the first statement would read: I smoke regularly and I am not thinking about changing my smoking habits.

If you really want to change and if you are in the appropriate “stage,” this just might be the year that you keep that resolution!

If you have any fitness questions you would like answered, please e-mail info@lakeaustin.com, subject: "Fitness Friday Question"!

I enjoyed the holiday season this year, and I hope you did, too! I hope you enjoyed some quality time with people that are important to you, worked on projects that bring you joy and made some time to simply slow down, enjoy the season and set some priorities for 2010.

My brother-in-law has a wonderful “assignment” he gives his family each year during the holidays. Every member of their immediate family is asked to prepare two lists to discuss. The first is 25 Things they would like to "Have, Be or Do" in their lifetime, and the other is a list of 3-5 goals for the following year. Each member of the family does their homework, and they sit down as a group and go through the lists one by one. It was a wonderful experience for me to watch as this family supports each other to reach their full potential. They dream together, laugh together and push each other each year via the “assignment”. I encourage you to give it a try. There are no right or wrong answers – what would you like to have, be or do in your lifetime, and what will you prioritize to achieve in 2010? Personally, I would like to HAVE the perfect golf swing, BE a professional golfer and WIN a professional tournament. (Hey – dream big I always say!) I am pretty sure it won’t happen in 2010, but if I make it a goal to play more than 5 rounds of golf a year (like I did in 2009), I am on my way. Maybe I should adjust my goal to the Women’s Senior Tour – just thinkin'…

I wish you all a wonderful 2010!

Email Tracy at tyork@lakeaustin.com.

Many view the New Year as an appropriate time for making changes and resolve to “get in shape,” “organize the household,” or “make more money.” Weeks later, some are merrily rolling along on the path to achievement while others are floundering and unsure if they’re even on the right track. Maybe as recent research suggests, those who initially set S.M.A.R.T. goals attain success. To understand how this method works, we’ll employ the acronym S.M.A.R.T. with the common resolution, "I want to get in shape.”

S - Specific

A goal must be specific. “I want to get in shape” could have many meanings including losing weight, running a 5K, decreasing cholesterol, or staying strong during a tennis tournament. If your resolution “I want to get in shape” really means: "I want to lose weight,” then express your goal with those precise words.

M - Measurable

A goal must be measurable. At first glance, "I want to lose weight” seems to fit the criteria since a scale easily measures weight loss; however, the “amount” of weight remains unclear. Clarify your goal by indicating the number of pounds you would like to lose, “I want to lose 30 pounds.”

A - Adjustable

A goal must be adjustable. For example, after losing 20 pounds, you may feel and look great. By setting short-term goals and scheduling periodic evaluations, you have a built-in plan to modify your original resolution. This might mean assessing your progress and perhaps adjusting your goal after every five pounds of weight loss.

R - Realistic

A goal must be realistic and within YOUR reach. Thirty pounds is a lot of weight to lose and for some, an unrealistic amount. Setting a realistic weight loss goal requires learning the normal weight range for your sex, height, age, and body type and then discussing your goal with a medical health expert.

T – Time-based

A goal must have a time-based deadline. However, safely losing thirty pounds will take months and staying focused on such a distant deadline can be frustrating. To stay motivated, also set short-term goals that can be reached in the near future—such as resolving to lose two pounds a week.

After employing the S. M. A. R. T. method, the “I want to get in shape” resolution is better expressed as: “I want to lose 30 pounds in four months; however, I am first setting a short-term goal of losing eight pounds in four weeks. At that time I will evaluate my results and perhaps change the number of pounds I plan to lose and/or adjust the deadline for reaching my weight loss goal.”

Although the example came from within the fitness realm, the S.M.A.R.T. method also works for setting goals in other areas including: your personal life (e.g. obtaining a graduate degree), at the office (e.g. completing a project), or when planning daily activities (e.g. organizing the garage). So the next time you’re considering a goal, think S.M.A.R.T. and you’ll soon be enjoying the satisfying feeling of reaching your resolution!