The Battle of Vienna

A great sermon relating the Battle of Vienna, which occurred 329 years ago this week.

http://www.audiosancto.org/sermon/20110911-Why-Can-the-Muslims-Take-Over-Europe.html

Training the Palate in France

"Not surprisingly, with the cultivation of taste comes the natural cultivation of manners. "

Training the Palate in France

This article comes to me by way of a friend, John C. and serves as a reminder of what food is supposed to look like.  It also reminds me of Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" series that was on TV last year.  If you can find it, there were about 8 episodes that are worth watching.

"We all see the national madness; but what is national sanity?...What is wrong is that we do not ask what is right "
                                                        -G.K.Chesterton, What's Wrong With the World

I just started reading the quotable G.K.Chesterton's What's Wrong With the World and got as far as the third page before coming across this quote that jumped out at me. (Full text of this book is available here, quote taken from the last paragraph of Chapter I) They say that although this book was written over 100 years ago it is just as relevant today as it was then, and so far I cannot argue.

Breakfast

Five weeks ago we decided to take a stab at the paleo diet.  We were already eating pretty healthy (or at least I thought we were), so I wanted to see how much different my diet would be if I "went pale."  As I expected, it wasn't too much of a shock to my eating habits, but it did require some conscientious effort to avoid certain foods; namely, wheat, dairy, and legumes (beans).  I'll explore each of these on it's own in future posts.

One of the challenges we've faced since starting this paleo-leaning diet is what to eat for breakfast.  For me, breakfast used to consist of 1 cup of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats with a handful of raisins and some brown sugar mixed in...not terrible.  Occasionally (once to twice per week) I'd have a bagel or donut...pretty terrible.  On the paleo diet, all of this is out on account of eliminating all forms of grain and wheat.  The paleo people (such as Robb Wolf, in his book Paleo Solution) will recommend a breakfast of eggs and chicken or fish.  Really?  Am I supposed to wake up and grill fish every morning?  And can I really afford to buy enough meat and fish so that I have enough leftovers for breakfast and lunch the following day?  (I suppose if I bought lower quality meat I could, but doesn't that defeat the purpose?)  I don't disagree with the notion, but it's just not practical for me.

Further, my mind tells me that breakfast time is a time for baked goods, not grilled meats.  I suppose this  mindset has been formed out of habit, but I really look forward to enjoying my hot breakfast with a hot cup of coffee, and leftover chicken doesn't satisfy my morning cravings for something hot and sweet.

While I haven't found that silver bullet to replace my oatmeal or bagel, I have settled in on a few different staples.  We have been eating a lot more eggs since starting the paleo diet, and most of them for breakfast.  I can now fry an egg (in coconut oil) in under 3 minutes, from start to cleanup, so this is a good quick bite.  We've also been mixing in some fresh fruit and trying some new melons, which has been fun.  But the bulk of my breakfast has been paleo granola.  How can you make grain-free granola, you ask?  Well, I guess you can't so maybe this isn't, strictly speaking, granola but you'd never know it if I didn't tell you.

We got the basic recipe here, but we have been experimenting with different oils, nuts, and fruits and have settled in on our own recipe, which I've listed below.  Feel free to switch ingredients in and out to suit your taste, but the main ingredients that make up the bulk of the granola are the almonds and coconut, so you're going to want to keep those pretty close to the recipe.

This granola is great to eat by itself, but we've also had it as cereal using almond milk instead of cows milk and it's not bad.  On a related note, I've also made the decision that I'm not going to be so strict about not eating dairy, but that I will try to eat dairy that hasn't been processed:  raw milk from grass fed cows and local yogurt whenever possible.  Our primary milk, however, is Trader Joe's Organic Whole Milk, and I'll drink that from time to time too.  (There's a lot to say about milk...another great topic to explore)

So, without further ado, our take on Paleo Granola:

Essential Ingredients
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil or almond oil (I use a combination of these!)

Optional Ingredients to Taste
5-6 finely chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/3 cup finely chopped dried banana chips

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, mix together the honey and oils and drizzle over the dry ingredients.  Mix with your hands until the oil is distributed, let your dog lick your hands after.  Spread the mixture out over a large cookie sheet and place in the oven at 275 degrees.  Cook for 60 minutes, turning the granola every 15 minutes.

When it comes out, it'll be slightly soft, by once it cools it gets nice and crispy like granola.  Enjoy by itself, over yogurt, or as cereal!

"We are learning to do a great many clever things. . . The next great task will be to learn not to do them. "
                                                        -G.K.Chesterton

Catholic Audio

I spend about two hours in the car every day commuting to work, so I'm constantly looking for something to listen to while I drive. I had been listening to several tech related podcasts, but I've recently lost my interest in technology. I still think the gadgets are cool, but they're becoming less and less important on the scale of things I want to devote time to.

To fill in the silence they've left, I've been on the hunt for sources of good Catholic audio to listen to, and I've found some great sites. They usually let you download the mp3 files to load onto your iPod, but most also allow you to stream the audio too. This is great if you have an iPhone because you can listen to any of it without having to download ahead of time. I've also listed some sources where you can purchase CD's. So, without further ado, here is a list of recommended sites:

Voice of Catholic Radio
This site is affiliated with St.Michael the Archangel parish out of Farmingville, NY, and  used to be home to the weekly sermons of our very own Fr. Robinson, which is how I found it.  Those are no longer available, but there are a number of past sermons, conferences, and lectures, especially if you dig around in the archives.

Saint Isidore the Farmer
I found this site in the links section of Voice of Catholic Radio and it has a ton of audio available.  St. Isidore Parish is a Society chapel in Watkins, CO and was apparently, at one point, home to Fr. J. Pfeiffer - many of his sermons are still available here.  I'd guess that there are hundreds of hours of audio here, including sermons, conferences, days of recollection, parish missions, and catechisms.  

Traditional Catholic Radio
Listen online or download the free TuneIn Radio app to listen to this streaming radio station.  Most of the time it broadcasts Gregorian Chant, but when I tune in around 7:30am (EST) on my drive into work, they are sometimes broadcasting past sermons from priests such as Bishop Fellay and Bishop Williamson.  I think they also broadcast the Mass at 8am, but I'm not sure if this is live or not.  There are few who can speak like Bishop Williamson so I love catching those, but I'm not a big fan of the chant, so this one is hit or miss for me.

Audio Sancto Sermon Series
I haven't listened to too many here yet, but there look to be some good sermons here, and they go back to 2003 so there's a lot of content.  They are also listed categorically if there is something particular that interests you.

Aquinas School of Philosophy
The Aquinas School of Philosophy is sort of an informal school that meets weekly in Buffalo, NY to hear lectures from various professors.  They record the sessions and make them available for purchase through their site, and the prices are very reasonable.  I've only purchased one so far (Dr. Dennis Bonnette's series entitled St. Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways to Prove the Existence of God), but it was well worth it.  At $25 for 5 audio CD's and a CD of notes, it's provided at least 8-10 hours of audio for me since I've already listed to it twice.  Most of the series seem over my head, but I'm going to try them anyway.  I was once told that when tackling difficult topics like Aquinas, I'll get out of them whatever God wants me to get out of them, and I believe this to be true.


So there you are - five great sources for Catholic audio.  In the future, I'll link to those that I find interesting or noteworthy.  I also plan on doing a similar post for video.

The Siege of Beitang Cathedral

From the "This Week in Catholic History" department:

August 16 marks the end of the siege of the Beitang Cathedral (or The Church of Our Saviour) during the Boxer Rebellion in China, 1900.  Read more here:
http://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/about-our-lady/our-lady-of-deliverance-empress-of-china.html

You can also hear more about this event as it relates to The Feast of the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary in this sermon from Fr. Cooper.

Pork Chops!

We love shopping at local farms, and one of our favorites right now is Eagle Wood Farms in Barkhamsted, CT.  We accidentally discovered Eagle Wood Farms last year when attending a memorial service...imagine the sight of the two of us dressed in a suit and dress walking up to the dusty, dirty, farm with pigs running around!  We picked up some hot dogs, spare ribs, pork chops, and I'm not sure what else.  

The farm is a good hour and a half from our house, so we were really excited when we pulled into one of the local farmers markets and saw their van.  We practically ran over to their booth, our mouths drooling at the possibilities for dinner.  We got some sausage links (hot and sweet), pork chops, and ribs, and we have an order in for some kielbasa.   The sausages were amazing and tasted really fresh...had to get some more of those!

Below is a photo of our pork chop dinner, which was incredible, paleo-friendly, and 99% local.  The chops were given a little olive oil, salt, and pepper (the 1% not local) and grilled.  The pattipan squash, lettuce, and pea shoots were from the Garden of Ideas in Ridgefield, CT (more on them in the future) and the tomatoes were from our patio plant.   The pork tasted awesome, the squash just a little bit sweet, and the salad crisp and refreshing.   It would take me an awfully long time to get tired of this meal.

Let's consider to prices as they compare to your typical Stop and Shop. 

Item	Farm Cost	Grocery Store Cost
Pork Chops	$7.75/lb = $7.75	$2.99/lb = $2.99
Lettuce	$3.50/head = $1.00	$2.00/head = $0.50
Tomatoes	Garden - $0.00	$2.00
Pattipan Squash	$1.25 each = $2.50	Not available, assume $2.50
Total	$11.25	$8.00

Clearly the meal that we bought locally costs more than if we were to buy it at Stop&Shop. I will continue to explore this, but I believe that will always be the case. Considering that the meal fed two people, a difference of $3.25 is only $1.62 extra per person...less than the proverbial cup of coffee!

For the two of us, this extra cost is a no-brainer - we'll take the farm food any day for a number of reasons. First, we know where our food comes from. We personally know the farmers who put the squash and lettuce seeds in the ground. We know what they are using for soil and fertilizer, and we know when the crops were harvested. (They harvest on Saturday, we bought them on a Sunday, and ate them on a Thursday) We know that they are getting paid a fair wage, because we are paying them. We speak with the farmers who raised the pigs. We know what they feed the pigs (and we asked when we didn't know and got a response within a day). More importantly, we know what they are NOT feeding the pigs. We're OK with them feeding pigs some grain when necessary, but we're not OK with them using GMO grain (they don't, the pigs mostly pasture/wood fed and substituted with vegetables and occasional grains). We know the farmers' work ethics, political opinions, and what kind of van they drive. They are, in a way, our friends, and we feel good about supporting their businesses.

And if this doesn't matter to you, that's OK, but the more local, more natural, and fresher food just plain tastes better! Who's going to argue with that?

Welcome to The Healthy Catholic, a blog dedicated to nourishment of the body and the mind. The purpose of this blog is to promote what I consider to be two essential ingredients to a healthy and happy life: proper eating and the Catholic Faith. I am not certain that there is significant overlap in these two areas or that there will be many posts pertaining to both of these topics, but one could write volumes on each one individually. Who knows where the two might intersect?

First and foremost, I am a Catholic. Although I don't like the term because it divides what should be One Catholic Church, I am what is often referred to as a Traditional Catholic. I enjoy reading about the Church and Church history and I spend a good amount of time listening to lectures, sermons, and conferences on the Catholic Faith and living in today's world as a Catholic. These are a couple of topics that I plan on discussing in future posts.

My wife and I are also very much into healthy eating. To us, in short, this means buying as much food as possible at local farms and farm stands and avoiding processed foods as much as possible. We have slowly transitioned away from a typical American diet of processed foods, grains, and carbs and have recently adopted eating habits based on the Paleo Diet. We enjoy eating food that tastes good and makes you feel good.

Proper physical nourishment (of the body) is nearly as difficult to achieve as proper Catholic nourishment of the mind. We have to make conscientious efforts at both, and we have been taught to do neither. This is the ongoing story of our journey on these parallel paths.