Outdoors If You Do & Sauteed Mushrooms with Onions and Garlic

August is the time of year that reminds me of why I love the great outdoors so much. The temperatures are starting to give way in the morning and evening while remaining bright, sunny, and warm in the middle of the day. Fall crops are really taking hold and coming to the peak of their season. School is just a few weeks away and fall sports are starting, if not well into, their pre-seasons. So, fellow healthy-living enthusiast, stand up from your desks and couches, back away from your keyboards and remotes, turn off that AC and STEP OUTSIDE!


Now, breathe in that fresh air. Walk down the street. Play catch with the kids. Soak up some vitamin D. Cook some grass-fed beef on the grill. Heck, cook this recipe in a saute pan on the grill! But that's for just in a little bit...

There are many benefits to spending time outdoors. I just mentioned a few- fresh air and vitamin D. But did you notice the other two? Walk down the street and play with the kids? We talked about walking a few weeks ago. And playing usually involves either walking, sprinting, or lifting heavy things. All topics we want to incorporate into our lives. So, if we are following these principles, then we should already be outdoors! But it is certainly worth reinforcing the idea.

Back to the fresh air and vitamin D. Fresh air equals fresh oxygen; super important to healthy cells. And vitamin D? Our good friend sunlight is helping us out with that one. It is very difficult for humans to derive vitamin D from our diets, however it is very easy for us to absorb it from the sun. That being said, we can absorb a little too much sunlight and end up burning out skin. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent and combat that. Aside from the obvious SPF sunscreen, check out Mark Sisson's tips.

Okay, enough reading already! Get out and get cooking! This is my favorite side dish to a nice grilled steak. And, as mentioned earlier, with the right pan (preferably cast iron) you can cook it on the grill your cooking the steak on!


Sauteed Mushrooms with Onions and Garlic

The Food

- 10oz Mushrooms, sliced (white or baby bella)

- 1 medium Onion, chopped or sliced

- 2 cloves Garlic, minced

- 2 tbs butter

or

- 1 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter

The Method

Heat butter in a saute pan over medium heat

When heated, add onions, cook for about 1 minute

Add garlic

Let onion and garlic get soft and pretty fragarnt, about 5 minutes

Push onion and garlic to the sides and add mushrooms

**Add mushrooms a little at a time; as they cook move them to the outside before adding new. They will brown much better that way

Let everything cook until mushrooms are about 1/3 of the size they started, about 30 minutes from start to finish

Enjoy :)