Saturday Short Subjects: Safe Fun in the Sun– 2013 Edition

For the last several years, at the start of Summer, I have compiled and posted some best tips for protecting yourself while having fun in the sun. In the northern hemisphere, late June is the time of year when the sun’s rays are the longest and most powerful. Check out this animated graphic if you need convincing. It is also the season when many people spend more time outdoors. 

Being out in the sun can lift your spirits, making you feel good. But unprotected exposure to intense sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer. Skin cancer accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States; over 12,000 people die from skin cancer each year. If you are going to be out in the summer sun, particularly between the hours of 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, you really should take some precautionary measures.

EVERYONE who spends time outdoors at this time of year needs a good sunscreen, no matter how dark you are or how easily you tan. All sunscreens are not created equal, and it is impossible to judge the effectiveness of a product from its label alone.

Here are two places to turn for some expert assistance. GoodGuide and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) are excellent sources of the latest test results on sunscreen effectiveness and safety.  Both have updated reports. Here is a link to EWG’s 2013 Guide to Safer Sunscreens and here is one to GoodGuide’s Ratings. 

GoodGuide is also available as a free app for Android and iPhone. Once you have installed the app, simply scan a product barcode, and, if it is in the GoodGuide database, you will get its rating instantly. GoodGuide is particularly useful if you don’t have time to shop online and are limited to the selection in your neighborhood store. You may not be able to purchase the highest rated product, but GoodGuide will help you make the best choice of what is available.

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. [Popsicles work, too, especially the juice ones you make yourself.]

And, DON’T FORGET A HAT. Tilley, Sunday Afternoons, and Outdoor Research offer protective headgear in a wide range of styles. Some hats can even make you feel cooler. They can be found in outdoor outfitters including EMS, REI, and TrailBlazer, as well as online. Hats can be serious, silly,  stylish — whatever works for you. If you insist on wearing a baseball cap, be sure to protect your neck and ears.

Me and my hat in Point Lobos, CA — ready for adventure

Here’s wishing you a safe and happy summer… Good times.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

Meatless Monday: Getting to Know Chia

For just over a week now I have been experimenting with Chia Seeds, a staple in Central American diets for centuries recently popularized as a superfood among runners.

I covered the extraordinary nutritional value in Chia Seeds in last week’s Meatless Monday post. 

I also discussed the mysterious chemical property of the seeds — that they turn into a gel when left in liquid, while maintaining their crunch. This is a good thing if you want to make a no-cook “pudding.” However, the texture is not for the faint-hearted. I have to say that so far finding a fail-safe use for Chia Seeds has been my greatest culinary challenge.

My good friend Cher who keeps a vegan household, confessed that she “just can’t get past the slime.” I have a bigger problem with the gel being crunchy. 

Still, the low-carb, high protein content of the seeds has made me determined to find easy and delicious ways to use them.

I promised you a report on the breakfast “pudding” that was still gelling when I posted last week. Here is the link to the recipe for Banana-Coconut Pudding in the photo below. The only change I made was to use 4 tablespoons of syrup rather than one. 

The result was what my husband termed “porridge with a crunch.” It was tasty, but I am not convinced it would have been without the banana and all the toppings. The “pudding” had the decidedly weird trait of pulling away from the side of the bowl as it was being eaten, leaving my bowl looking licked clean when I was done. It was definitely filling. This recipe made 4 large servings and stored well in the fridge. 

My friend K, the one who first tipped me off to Chia Seeds, had better luck. He wrote to me about his successful experiment with a Chia Pudding inspired by a  a recipe on the back of the packet of Trader Joe’s Chia Seeds. Here is his recipe:

No-Cook Chia Pudding

 Handful of fresh strawberries

1/2 ripe banana 

Spritz of lime juice 

1 cup coconut milk  

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar 

1/4 cup Chia Seeds

Put all the ingredients except the seeds into a blender. 

Blend until smooth.

Pour into a bowl.

Add the Chia Seeds.

Combine & refrigerate for 3 hours.

K’s verdict: Yummy :-)

Not to be outdone by K, I tweaked the recipe for the Mexican Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding I blogged about last week. There is a bowl in the fridge ready to serve tonight. I have scooped out a taste and am happy to say that I can call it a “dessert.” My new and improved recipe follows.

Chia Cocoa Mousse 

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Chia Seeds

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tablespoons agave syrup

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Grind the Chia Seeds to a fine powder.

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Spoon into four dessert glasses.

While the final verdict is not in, I believe I am many steps closer to a Chia dessert to please all tastes and diets. I do, however, have a carton of rich Vanilla Greek Yogurt on hand to top off my Chia Mousse just in case it’s requested.

Have a great week. Happy eating.

I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday’s goal is “to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”

Saturday Short Subjects: Celebrating Summer

Here in Connecticut it’s the first day of Summer, and it promises to be a beauty.

The first sound I heard this morning was the song of the neighborhood Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). Each day he belts it out from the highest spots in the block — often from the pole atop the roof of the apartment building across the road — laying claim to his domain. He is a frequent visitor to my backyard and likes the American Hornbeam we planted earlier this Spring. He sings in the daytime and even during the darkest hours of the night. His amazing repertoire is even audible above rush hour traffic.

If you are not lucky enough to be acquainted with such a bird, you can get the idea from this YouTube video.

Each bird has its own set of songs. Some songs mimic the calls of other birds. Some birds have been known to mimic dog barks, sirens, and other sounds not heard in nature. [Fortunately I have never noticed the neighborhood bird incorporating the expletives shouted by frustrated drivers at this busy corner…]

Originally a southern bird, the Northern Mockingbird’s range now includes the majority of the continental US as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. Its name means “many-tongued mimic.” According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), an individual bird can learn up to 200 songs during its lifetime, and males have two separate sets of songs for the spring and fall seasons. Mockingbirds are fiercely territorial. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that mockingbirds “flagrantly harass birds that intrude on their territories, flying slowly around them or prancing toward them, legs extended, flaunting their bright white wing patches.”

Both sexes of the birds sing, but the males sing louder, longer, and more actively throughout the year. According to the NWF, unpaired males since 24 hours a day during the breeding season. 

Where do they get the energy?

Enjoy your day. Happy Summer. 

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).