Although spring had not officially arrived when I was writing this article, it certainly looks like spring in our part of the world.
My husband, Don, is digging trenches in our yard to have the water flow away from the driveway. The sun is shining and it is downright warm outside.
Spring is the time of new beginnings, a fresh outlook on the crop year and a renewing of faith in what lies ahead.
Speaking of what lies ahead, Daniel Goleman’s book called Social Intelligence offers a new perspective. In 1995, he published Emotional Intelligence, Why it can matter more than IQ.
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In the first book Goleman, a Harvard University trained psychologist and writer for the New York Times, discussed how humans have the ability to manage our emotions and have the potential for positive relationships.
In Social Intelligence, he also writes that “we are wired to connect” with one another. Each connection with another stimulates our nervous systems, affecting hormones, heart rate, circulation, breathing and the immune system. Relationships have the power to change what happens to our brains when we connect with others.
His writing ties in with information gleaned in a class I took last fall. I learned how neural pathways in the brain can
and do change over time with different experiences, thoughts and feelings. Memory, sexual attraction, marriage, parenting, attachment, bonding and group dynamics of people all influence brain behaviour. All social interaction influences mood and brain chemistry.
Goleman discusses how positive experiences in relationships cause the body to release pleasurable dopamines, whereas disconnection and unpleasant experiences have negative impacts on our moods, brain chemistry and bodies. Goleman said that given our socially reactive brains, we must be aware of the ways that our moods influence the biology of each life we touch.
I like Goleman’s writings. To me, they help explain what is happening in close encounters between humans. We must never underestimate the value of human connection.
Brita Housez is the author of Pleasures – Pure & Simple & Good for you, too! Her goal is to produce great food with a minimum of fuss, which is my kind of cooking. She uses recipes that call for wholesome ingredients such as grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables and fruits. She reduces the amounts of fat, most of it unsaturated, except in some desserts where she prefers butter. The following recipe is a great start to a day or to finish off a meal.
Fruit with maple yogurt
1 cup plain yogurt 250 mL
2 tablespoons maple 30 mL
syrup, or to taste
2 cups chopped fresh fruit 500 mL
2 tablespoons shredded 30 mL
coconut
In a medium bowl, stir together yogurt and maple syrup. Fold in fruit. Sprinkle with coconut, toasted, if desired. Makes
five servings.
Bean and barley soup
Housez describes this as a “stick to the ribs” kind of soup that tempts the palate with its savory aroma.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 15 mL
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup pearl barley 125 mL
4 cups chicken or vegetable 1 L
broth
1/4 cup tomato paste 60 mL
generous pinch each, ground
coriander, cumin and fennel seed salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped leftover 125 mL
chicken or other meat, optional
1 can (19 oz.) white or 540 mL
kidney beans, rinsed, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh 30 mL
parsley
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and barley and sauté for two minutes. Add broth. Stir in tomato paste, seasonings and chicken, if using. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about one hour, or until barley is tender.
Add beans. (I used dried beans, soaked and cooked). If soup is too thick, add a little broth. Stir in parsley and cook until beans are heated through.
Makes four to six servings.
Source: Pleasures – Pure & Simple & Good for you, too! by Brita Housez, Centax Books, 306-525-2304 or fax 306-757-2439.
Packed with nutrition
Beans are a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates, iron, fibre, potassium, folic acid and other B vitamins. Dry beans will keep almost indefinitely if stored in a dry place in airtight containers at temperatures below 70 F (21 C).
The following tips for soaking and cooking dry beans are from The Amazing Legume by Alice Jenner.
Always soak dry beans before cooking.
Use 21/2 to three cups (625-750 mL) water for every cup (250 mL) of dry beans. Let stand for 12 hours or overnight. For quick soaking, slowly bring to a boil and boil gently for three minutes. Remove from heat and let stand one hour.
After a quick soak, beans should cook to tenderness in one to 11/2 hours. To cook, use 21/2 to three cups (625-750 mL) water for every cup (250 mL) of beans.
Simmer until tender, or use a pressure cooker following the recipe and manufacturer’s directions.
Relax to live longer
Just the other day, a young friend of mine asked me how to help her child relax. I started thinking about breathing techniques that adults use, and I remembered the spaghetti dance that can be used for any age.
Kids love it. They imagine themselves as a dry piece of spaghetti, with every inch of muscle as tight as they can make it, standing straight and stiff. Then ask them to imagine themselves all cooked and soft as they bend into all sorts of wiggly, jiggly, curvy shapes like cooked spaghetti. They can do this several times amid lots of laughter until they are completely relaxed. Kids love to get their parents to do this, too.
There are many types of breathing techniques people can use to relax. If you are feeling tense, take a few minutes to use any of these exercises throughout the day or to relax to sleep at night.
- Lie down and place a heavy book on your upper abdomen. Watch it go up and down as you breathe deeply through your nose. Continue for several minutes, if you can stay awake that long.
- Breathe in deeply through your nose to the count of four. Hold your breath to the count of four. Breathe out through your nose to the count of four. Pause to the count of four. Repeat these steps four times.
- Breathe in deeply through your nose, pause to the count of three, let the air out of your mouth slowly in three equal puffs while you imagine the tension leaving your body as you exhale.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
