Sprouts - simple health powerhouses!

I have just polished off a midnight snack of Cruskits, topped with avocado, Dijon mustard, cheese, and sprouts. Lovely, yummy, lentil sprouts, to be exact.

And it got me to thinking - there is surely not a simpler, space-and-time saving method of growing fresh nutrients than sprouts. I have them in salads, sandwiches, as a snack… they are tasty and versatile. And anyone can grow them. As long as you have a window, and a jar, all you need are seeds and water and you’re on your way.

Here are my some of my lentils, in their dormant state:

Do they look a bit boring? What?? Who said that - the essence of all life, boring? I don’t think so…

And, after a few days of soaking, rinsing, draining, and a little kitchen-bench sunlight, we have the ‘finished’ product:

This is my sprouting jar that I bought from Mrs. Flannery’s (an organic grocery chain in Queensland). But, while it is cool, it’s unnecessary to the process - all you really need is any old jar with a bit of Chux held over the top with a rubber band.

These were soaked overnight, then rinsed twice a day for about three or four days (can’t quite remember…) and you can see the roots quite clearly, as well as the little leaves starting to appear:

Just look a them… yummy.. I usually sprout Mung beans, but I wanted to try lentils, and I have to hazard to say I may just possibly like them more.

Now, lentils and mung beans are really cheap to buy in bulk. For lentils, you can get them in a big bag from any supermarket for a few dollars, and mung beans can be bought from a good organic grocer, or often a health food store.

Nick and I tried an experiment a few months ago - we actually planted some of our mung beans to see how productive a plant would be. We got about a good full hand full of seeds from about 6 planted, so not bad - it might be something we do on a bigger scale one day. But in the meantime, I’ll just buy the seeds in bulk.

Oh, also, you can buy them through companies like Eden Seeds - and if you haven’t checked them out already - go, go now! (If you’re an Aussie, that is). They are my favourite heirloom seed providers, and I love looking dreamily over their catalogue and planning my future garden.

So, in short, if you’re not sprouting - why not?!

The Riding to the Gym Challenge - Part Deux

Okay. So I rode to the gym twice last week - as I thought, the stipulation to ride actually discouraged me from going - mostly because of the extra time it takes. Not to mention I was sleeping in more than usual… But Nick has flown out today, and my cello lessons have moved to Saturdays at 11 - so I now have more free mornings.

So - to extend my challenge to another week!

Apart from that, I’m getting more in the habit of walking places rather than driving. Especially now I’ve realised how bloody close I live to a humongous shopping centre, and how nice a walk it actually is at this time of year.

It’s the old ‘doing something for my health and the health of the planet’ thing - and it’s true, it feels great!

Well, I rode to the gym

And boy, was it evil. It took me 22 minutes to get there, and 26 minutes to get back. Now, there were some nasty hills on the way there, but even nastier ones on the way back! I spent about 25 minutes at the gym in the middle - so it was a good mornings work out. Mentally, I feel good for having done it, but it certainly took all the willpower I had to get to the top of some of those hills! Even though I’m reasonably fit, I certainly felt cranky at all the lycra-clad ’serious’ cyclists with their ultra-light racing bikes as they whizzed by me on my heavy old mountain bike!

However, I shall do my challenge! One week, riding to the gym every time I go.

The Riding to the Gym Challenge

For a few months now, I’ve been going to the gym four or five days per week. I’ve found that I really enjoy it, and I’d hazard to say that I has even become a habit. Why do I go to a gym? Well, it has many different cardio machines, a pool, more weights machines than I can ever possibly use, and classes. When I go there, I know that I’m there to exercise, and I put my whole self into it. Having a place to go to helps keep me motivated and focussed. I want to be an old lady who can still cart around bags of potting mix, not stuck inside because my body’s given up on me.

However, while I’m doing something great for my health, I feel guilty about my journeys to and from the gym. Why? Because I drive there. This morning I timed my drive - 8 minutes there, 6 minutes back. Now, that’s not a lot, but it still makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.

But today, a possible solution finally popped into my head. Now, I happen to live next to a freeway, and my gym is a few kilometres down the same freeway. And next to the freeway is a fantastic bike path. Last time I rode that way it almost killed me, as there are some heinous hills. However, I’ve decided that tomorrow morning I’m going to ride my bike to the gym and see how long it takes me, and how exhausted it makes me! So, this is the pre-challenge test… and if it’s viable, I’m going to ride my bike to the gym for a week. Wish me luck!