Why Fun is Not a Joke

July 23, 2008

Why Fun is Not a Joke
By Lauren Traub Teton


Fun is Tops
Hi there. I’ve been thinking about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. You might have studied that one in college, like I did. I have a rather bold theory. Here it is.

“Fun people” like us are at the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Yup. We’re even above the Self-Actualization step that used to be the pointy top of the pyramid when I studied it. Later the term “Peak Experience” was invented and interestingly it took the top of some newer versions of Maslow’s Hierarchy.

And lot’s of fun people do have Peak Experiences when doing the thing that is their passion. So hey, no mystery why we fun people are drawn to other fun people, we are happy people with fulfilled lives doing the things we most love!

Health
I am blessed with radiant health. It’s not an accident, I work at it, but it is good work, like gardening and weeding. I won’t get into my health regime here, but I do promise I will be talking about it. My F&F (friends and family) are kind of tired of hearing how great it’s worked for me, but you as readers can easily opt out of reading that part if you’re not into it, so I will be sharing it in my blog.

Anyway, I just wan t you to know that if you think your health could be better, it probably could, and it’s not that hard to achieve and improve your health if you make a few decisions.

What I wanted to tell you in this post is that my friend said my skin looked “glowing” today. And I have been eating large amounts of fresh greens from the local greenmarket for the last few weeks, Chard and kale and dandelion greens and mustard greens. Greeks call greens “Horta,” and many eat them daily. They are not something I crave. But that’s good, most things we crave are irritants, and we crave their sweet irritation.

So even though greens are not a food I dream of, I am eating them, and learning to like them. And it’s not that hard to learn to like something that makes you feel and look so good! My skin is glowing, I wore my bikini to the pool the other day and was proud of how I looked.
Hey, maybe eating kale’s not so bad!!

Recipes for Kale, from the Heart
By Lauren

Easy Cook Methods for Kale
If you’re not a regular kale eater, you’ll buy a bunch and look at it and say “what the heck should I do with this?” That’s what I was doing a few weeks ago. Here are a couple of ideas that worked for me.

Bake the Kale
Wash the kale, cut off the ends beyond the leaves, they’re tough, and discard, or put into soup stock,. Grease a cookie sheet with real olive oil, not any kind of spray. Dribble some olive oil on it or use a sprayer that you put your own good oil into, sprinkle with salt if desired. Bake at 350 or so. You can take it out when it’s soft, or crisp. Check after 10 minutes.

I haven’t quite figured out what to do with this crisp kale besides eat it like potato chips, and it’s not bad. Maybe spread it with hummus. Or put it on a sandwich with something moist like tomato.


Saute the Kale
You need a big pan, kale shrinks a lot when you cook it but is big to start with. Ideally a tall-sided large sauté pan.

Wash the kale, cut off the ends beyond the leaves and discard, or put into soup stock, they’re tough.

Chop one clove garlic (less or more to taste) coarsely. You can actually smash it with the side of a chef’s knife on a cutting board, then just slice it into 6 or 8 pieces like I do, it’s quick.

Pour olive oil into the pan so there is a thin layer (or more) covering the bottom of the pan. Heat it ‘til a leaf of kale thrown into it sizzles slightly.

Then throw the chopped garlic into the pan, stir it around for 30 - 60 seconds depending on if you like the taste of the garlic more raw or cooked.

Stuff the kale into the pot (sometimes the kale is bigger than the pot. If so just keep wilting the bottom layer in the pot then turning, and adding more.

The point is to get all the kale in the pot so you can cover it. If you don’t have the cover to the pot, see if another one will work, or use a plate.
Cover the kale. The kale has liquid in it that will come out and cause steam to cook the kale.

Reduce heat to medium, you shouldn’t hear sizzling.
Add salt if desired. I find these greens almost inedible without salt, it really helps.
Turn the kale every few minutes. Tongs are a great way to do this without making a mess.

Taste a leaf of the kale. The object here is to cook it until it’s tender enough to chew, but stop right at that point so it stays as bright green as possible. That is your job as kale chef, to walk the balancing tightrope of kale doneness. You will be proud when you acheive this, and you will have a delicious dish that is probably one of the healthiest things you can eat.

A friend of mine swears by a dash of blackstrap molasses for added flavor and nutrition. Onions, cooked. Or raw sweet onions would be good with kale. A little diluted cider vinegar and some Franks Hot Sauce or Goya Piquillo pepper liquid would be awesome. If you eat meat, some smoky pork in any form would be great cooked with the kale, but then simmer them longer so the flavors meld.
Salut –To your health!!


It is YOUR responsibility to take care of yourself.
It is not society's job, nor your spouse's nor parent's job to take care of your health. If you don't take care of yourself, you will be a burden for someone else to take care of. And that my friend, will prevent YOU from helping other people, which is actually one of all of our purposes in life.
So...please, take care of yourself!!
cheerio,
Lauren


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Twifties are people in their 40's, 50's, and 60's (and beyond) who are full of fun and living life with a passion.

If you're Twifty, then post your profile and share what works for you. Meet other Twifties who share your passion. It's not about dating! It's about finding fun people to hang with and having activity partners who enjoy doing the same things as you.

Some Twifty Ideas: Grown-ups can have fun* Let’s share what works for us* It's good to feel good!* Simple Pleasures Anytime – and not necessarily expensive!* Fun is not just for Vacations!* “Money” and “the economy” should never stand in the way of fun, or be an excuse as to why you can’t live an enjoyable fun Twifty lifestyle RIGHT NOW. Let’s have fun - day to day!

Visit Twifties.com and spread the word to your fellow Twifties.

I need help putting this site together, in many areas. Write me if you're into this project and it's calling your name! I need a bookkeeper,for example, and someone to advise me about raising money (or who wants to invest. I expect Twifties to be HUGE!!) I need lots of other help. Thankyou thankyou thankyou.
Lauren@SnowboardSecrets.com