I subscribe to the notion that creating optimal health — whether weight loss, heart health, avoiding chronic disease or consistently healthy eating — has everything to do with mixing things up and varying your routine to get the best results. You know, stepping out of what’s usual and comfortable and trying something new.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a creature of habit and when it comes to eating, as much as I enjoy cooking, it’s sooo easy to eat a lot of the same things over and over, if it will save me some time. And because I’m all about planning meals that are quick and healthy, given our busy schedule, I tend to resort to my old standbys. But that can get old real quick.  And the same old eating yields the same old health results – inability to lose weight, lack of energy and high cholesterol, just to name a few.  Not to mention that we can often miss out on important nutrients when we make the usual dishes. In fact, optimal eating and health really requires inclusion of a broad spectrum of foods.

So for weeks now, I’ve been eyeing my friend Ameet’s falafel recipe, itching to make it but not making the time. I love Middle Eastern food and truth be told, it really never dawned on me to make falafel myself, but I saw the recipe and I was immediately intrigued.  I love beans and the fact that they’re low fat, heart healthy and full of fiber.  I also loved the idea of making it fresh (not one of the falafel mixes) and so I set out on Saturday afternoon to buy the ingredients – dried garbanzo beans, lots of lemons and a few other ingredients (for the falafel and quinoa tabouli). Plus, Bruce and I are consciously eating less meat, so it sounded both tasty and a nice departure from the usual fare.

As you know, Sunday is prime time for me in the kitchen and this week was no exception. Even though I ran back and forth between the den where the Jets were playing the Bills (yep, Jets won), and my many simmering concoctions, I turned out some pretty good falafel, for a first try.  Between that, the tabouli (simply delicious ) and the fresh microgreens I’ve been enjoying, we’ve been mixing things up for great results (like loads of energy and being super-regular). What about you, how do you mix things up, how does it support your health and what have you tried lately?

Filed under: Fiber, Healthy Meals, Heart Health, High Quality Food, Optimal Health