Food & Fitness

Hiding Stuff in Food: For Adults

Many of us moms have tried to sneak something healthy into our kid’s food. Sneak the “yucky” or less glamorous into their favorite foods. This mom venture is met with varying degrees of success. I failed pretty miserably at this scheme once my son reached age 6 or 7. But…

The Final Frontier

I did the unthinkable. I removed the coffee pot from the kitchen counter and put it away in THAT cabinet. The place of kitchen exile that rarely sees the light of day. The home of the instapot and the waffle iron. No man’s land. Why would an otherwise sane person…

Winter One Pot Wonder

Spitting snow flakes this evening and I wanted comfort food but craving something spicy. I love Cajun food but can’t eat hardly any of it because it house flour in it. If you are trying to avoid gluten/wheat, you’ll soon realize that most soups that you eat at a restaurant…

A Very Grand (Canyon) Experience

Back in August, I shared a training journey embarked upon by a few students, staff and faculty from the Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. The goal? Hike the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, in one day. October 1, 2022. Spoiler alert:…

Pedal to the Metal

I had my first automobile accident at six. As the driver. That’s right – 6 years old. A beater pickup on my grandpa’s farm near Ft. Gibson, Cherokee Nation. I sat on a small metal toolbox on the edge of the seat. This enabled me to see over the steering…

Independence Day: Me and America on Ice

About 6 weeks ago, I had a tangle with a small step ladder. It won. From roughly Memorial Day to the Fourth of July, I had to stay off my dominant foot. For the bulk of that time, I wore a hardly-sexy and totally-stifling aircast boot. Then last week,…

Half-Time Locker Room Talk

It’s Day 15 of the challenge that I posted about here, so I’m sharing my observations. The deal was to run/walk just 1 mile a day, everyday, for 30 days. When I played basketball, half time was always interesting. There was no way of accurately predicting whether good coach, mean…

Experiment: 30 days, 1 mile a day

I am a slow runner. I have a love-hate relationship with running. Over the last 25 years, I have clocked 2 full marathons (really slow) and countless half marathons (still slow) and many 5Ks and 10ks (not as slow) – but I don’t really love it. I do know it’s…

On Becoming “That” Ol’ Lady

It’s been over a year since this blog was first launched. My wellness routine had it’s fits and starts, just like my writing spirts. Always cyclical, and sometimes for good reason. Cholestrol + blood pressure hit an all-time low around last April and then it crept up a little, but…

Lazy Dinners

For the “don’t feel like cooking” evenings, I keep several cheater options in the pantry. Need something cheesy in taste and texture but need it to be dairy free and gluten free? This is the combo. Believe it or not, crushed cashews taste like cheesy goodness. Zero cholestrol. Only 5g…

Crunch It Up + Full Dinner Ideas

One of my challenges of being 99% plant-based is texture. I really like crunchy things. I’ve previously written about my questionable relationship with tofu and how to repurpose grandma’s skillet in the prep of it. Despite many narratives online about baked tofu turning out to be a crispy treat, it…

Comfort Food + Garden Clips

Last night, I shared about cravings for foods that are delicious, but can no longer be an everyday affair for me. Enter, tonight’s “cheese burger.” Is it the change of seasons that makes me want to eat the comfort stuff? Enter an all-time favorite country song from my youth that…

Mmmmm Eggs-ish

Recently I’ve been craving foods that I (mostly) gave up over a year ago: meat, eggs, cheese. I love all three, but I can’t regularly eat those things without negative health consequences. So, it’s time to introduce some new foods, diversify the plate a bit and see what’s out there…

8 Week Panic? No Problem.

You committed to a fall half-marathon back in the spring. And then you look at the calendar and say “what!? – where did the summer go?” The race is 8 weeks away now. Don’t worry, you got this. The Eastern Cherokee Harvest Half (and 5k) is September 18th in Cherokee,…

Sweet Sweet Corn

Ever been in a predominately white bar when the song “Sweet Caroline” comes on? It’s a societal phenomenon to be sure. The enthusiasm is infectious. I’m nearly that excited about my dinner tonight. Grilled sweet sweet corn. Sooooo delicious. Here’s the trick: Use fresh corn on the cob, husk…

Auntie Ballers and How Natives “Discovered” Basketball

Basketball holds a special place in Indian country. In fact, Natives “discovered” basketball and now claim it as their own. True. It’s ours. If you are skeptical of this “discovery” assertion, you should have been in Norman, Oklahoma this weekend for the Annual “Oklahoma’s Best” All Indian State Tournament. Or…

Grilled Sweet Potato

It’s time to fire up the grill, but that doesn’t have to mean ribeyes, hamburgers and hotdogs only. Consider trying a Sweet Potato “Steak” for a healthy change. I leave the skins on and cut the sweet potato long ways, about an inch or so thick. Very simple. Prior to…

A Day in the Life of Food

Hat tip to my friend Susannah for begging the question what a typical day of plant-based eating looks like and how to get enough calories/energy and also feel satiated. So 99% plant-based, yes, but also 100% gluten free (which put an abrupt end to my migraines, as you can read…

Let’s Talk Shoes

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. That means it’s time to plant the garden, renew and refresh, religious and cultural ceremonies and . . . it’s time to get serious about training for some runs, walks, cycling, whatever. Get outside and let the sun shine on your body.…

Papaya and Posole

It’s always a challenge to come up with new things to eat, and new ways to prepare foods. One way I try to mix things up is to pair something that I am not accustomed to eating, with an old standby from childhood. Tonight, that was Papaya and Posole…

Frozen Pipes + Sweet Fried Potatoes

The past 2 days have been North Dakota cold, but in Oklahoma. We were up at 3:30 a.m. today, with no power and -15 degrees outside. We are the really lucky ones. A naturally well-insulated log home, plenty of wood ready to burn in a nice fireplace, blankets and good…

Veg Chili: Satiates Meat Eaters Too

Another great recipe courtesy of the incomparable Susan Plumb Chapman (Cherokee). For her prior recipe and a few details about Susan, click here. The “real fee” temperate in Tahlequah is -8 degrees right now – on Valentine’s Day. We don’t do -8 degrees very often here, but when we do,…

Healthy Chocolate Frosting

Yesterday, I saw a FB post from one of my more beloved snarky friends from the Northern Plains. To narrow it down a bit further, his tribe has a small reservation in northern North Dakota, I’ve always been impressed with how that reservation punches so far above it’s weight, in…

Horse Mats + Home Gyms

One on hand, living in rural areas can make it harder to get in a good workout. Driving to the small town gym can be a 20 min drive each way, if you are lucky. On some reservations, it’s a several hours roundtrip just to get to a Walmart. On…

Local Deer Meat + Tom Brady

Yesterday I made an exception to my mostly “no meat” deal and had a dinner that was home delivered by my ol’ friend Troy Sanford (Cherokee). I mean, if a man in overalls shows up on your porch with an entire meal he prepared for you and your family,…

Stuffed Peppers with Leftover Whatever

Remember the Red Rice Rendezvous from the other night? It makes for wonderful contents for the inside of baked stuff bell peppers – a leftover gem. Reduces food waste and adds new life to a dish from a night or two ago. Simply cut a bell pepper in half, load…

Hardly Basic Susan’s, Basic Bean Salad

Talking my friends into sharing their health stories and their favorite go-to recipes is cathartic. It also reminds me of just how many amazing women I get to engage with at home and across the country. I am rich in personal connections and I’m so proud to highlight as many…

Inaugural Pulp + Circumstance

What food should fuel a day of watching the U.S. presidential festivities while also getting some work done around the house? Yummy comfort food, that minimizes food waste and of course, is gluten-free and plant-based. Carrot Waffles Mix up: 1 cup of gluten-free flour baking mix, 1 heaping table spoon…

Conference Featuring Indigenous Women Chefs

For more information and to register for this free online event: click here. The is one of the many amazing projects supported by Shakopee’s long-term campaign Seeds of Native Health and this time along with University of Minnesota’s Healthy Food, Healthy Lives Institute. The dates are February 9, March 9,…

Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwich

Yesterday’s post about new takes on the old weekend breakfasts caused something dreadful to happen: it made me crave sausage and bacon. When I went mostly vegan many things changed but I’ll highlight two: (1) my tastebuds refreshed themselves (they are on overdrive drive and I can taste foods in…

Weekend Breakfast Revisited

Growing up, my parents joined forces to make a big Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast. A formidable team. Biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage and bacon, the works. Yummmmmm. I continued that tradition during the first part of my adult life and those weekend breakfasts were awesome. But after my body…

Simple Corn Cakes

Fired up the Iron skillet again for some corn cakes. Gluten-free, vegan and guess what? When the primary ingredients are water and corn meal, it did NOT originate in Northern Italy, no matter what Wikipedia says. We’re calling it corn cakes, not polenta. In a skillet, start with a thin…

Big Salads

A salad a day, most days. There’s no limitation to what you put in it. Make it big. Put it in a pretty plate. It’s got to be a staple in any healthy diet. My typical salad is pictured above: mixed lettuce, spinach, cranberries, other berries, sunflower seeds or sliced…

Pumpkin: Not Just Pies

Who doesn’t like a lil’ punkin’ pie during the holiday season? Since going gluten-free, I’ve never found a pie crust recipe that rivals the white flower and Crisco kind from the American south. So I’ve vowed to get my pumpkin kick elsewhere. Tonight, I’m doing a “clean out the cupboard”…

Indigenous Trails

When most people think about trails and Indigenous people, it’s for the sad and horrific stuff. The Trail of Tears, the Long Walk. It’s about removal, relocation, death, destruction. It’s rarely about trade centers like Chaco Canyon, or the elaborate roads to each of the coasts, or the Chichen…

Running Plans

Indian people sure love Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota), the1964 Olympics Gold Medalist. He was a sense of pride for Indigenous people, and still is. He’s like the Jimmy Carter of Indian country: still motivating, still helping Indian youth, still loving his wife. He didn’t have to overcome a tough…

Yes, My Kid Still Eats “Normal”

We live on a rural family “compound” north of Tahlequah where my parents are the “next door neighbors” down the hill from us. It’s the single greatest gift I’ll ever give to my son, the fact that he can walk freely between our houses. He gets to see his Nana…

The Five Ingredient Enchilada

Mexican food is my downfall. I’ve never been that much of a sweet tooth, but I love salty crunchy things so chips and salsa are my cookies. When I went vegan, that meant no more chips and queso feasts but it also created a quandary as to what my future…

Can A Tribal Judge Say “I Like Beer”?

Alcohol is a loaded topic in Indian country. In pop culture, Indians are stereotyped as drunks and to be sure, alcoholism, meth and opioid addiction destroys communities. But I am beyond sick and tired of these problems being portrayed as “Native American issues.” They are human issues and it…

Need a Quickie?

Let’s face it: sometimes you just aren’t in the mood . . . to cook. This is the danger zone. You worked all day, your house is a mess and you are hangry. This is really the danger zone. Be careful and don’t fall off the health wagon and do…

Love, Hate + Cheese

Why is it that the things we love the most, often cause us the most harm? I love cheese. ᎤᏅᏗᎦᏚᏅ. Hot melty cheese, cold cheese, yellow cheese, commodity cheese, cheese-like product like Velveeta, queso, white cheese, salty cheese, stinky cheese, crumbly cheese. Like many Indian people, dairy makes me sick…

Semi-Washed Up Ballers Unite

Growing up, basketball was my life. We had two hoops at my house in Muskogee. The first one was in the backyard on the beaten down grass and I’d play there until my mom made me come inside. My fingers literally cracked and bled from overuse. It was an addiction…

Easy Breakfast Ideas

I have subscribed to the theory that I do not need breakfast because I can drink coffee until about 11 am and not really feel hungry, so why force the extra calories. That doesn’t work for me anymore. Sharing two easy cheap breakfast ideas here. I’m calling them the Chow-cuterie…

Delaney’s Best Damn Veggie Sammich

My buddy Delaney Erickson (Cherokee) can throw down some food. He’s one of he best cooks I know and it comes from his days of being a kid in a hippie commune or just having to be the “cookie” and caretaker of a bunch of Cherokee county’s finest. Like…

Grandma’s Skillet and Tofu

Tofu always sounded nasty to me. I really didn’t know what it was, but when I shifted to mostly plant-based food and started experimenting, I bought some thinking it was “required.” I eat it maybe once a month, but it’s growing on me. Tofu is white and spongy and…

Bye 2020, ‘Siyo BlackEyed Peas

Happy New Year 2021. Why take a chance? Just eat the dang BlackEyed Peas (BEPs). If you are from anywhere near the American South, you’ll understand that if you don’t eat the BEP, you are not guaranteed luck in the new year. For a more description and recipe for BEPs,…

Waffles and Giving Things Away

I intended to start 2021 off with some gluten free waffles from a mix. I woke up all excited for breakfast, just to realize I had given away the last pancake/waffle mix left in my pantry. Had to improvise. I regularly purchase mixes at Walmart or Reasor’s in Tahlequah –…

Gluten/Wheat and the KFC “Last Supper”

Yeah, I can’t eat gluten or wheat either. I figured this out in 2010 when heading home from a trip to DC. A lady on the airplane saw me touching my eyeball socket, grimacing. She asked if I was getting a migraine. Yep. I got them all the damn time,…

Apple Sauce = Eggs

Use plain apple sauce instead of eggs when you make pancakes, waffles, muffins, or pretty much anything that calls for eggs. Get the generic jar with no added sugar, cheapest brand you can find. I find that about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of apple sauce = 1 large egg. It…

Can’t Eclipse Optimism

Yesterday was the big eclipse. I’ve been reading with great interest the various stories and responses to this event from tribal communities. I always remind folks just how diverse tribes are in their languages, cultures, lifeways, histories and in personality traits that grow from both nurture and nature. The eclipse, and conversations around it, serve […]

Famous Last Words, Dean 2.0

Last week, most of you heard that I’ll be starting a new gig soon. In the latest episode of “the 20 year old Stacy never saw this coming,” I’ll pick up as dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University effective February 1, 2023. This will be my second rodeo: […]

Auntie Ballers and How Natives “Discovered” Basketball

Lori Enlow: The Gift of Life

L Despite my best efforts and self-awareness, my mind will still sometimes take a word and then pop-up a stereotype. A quick image in my mind of what X should look like. When you hear the words “ultra-marathoner” and “endurance athlete,” what do YOU think of? My friend Lori Enlow has forever changed those words […]

Picking Up Broken Glass + Broken Hearts

This week, I audibly sighed. At so many things. Near the top of that list? A few of the questions posed to the Hon. Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo woman nominated to serve as the next Secretary of Interior. Not just the Indian Affairs part of Interior, the whole Department of Interior. I processed some […]

Stacy Leeds: Being (un) Healthy

I’m a professor, former law dean, judge, mom. The last 25 years, I’ve been going hard and fast. Most of the time, my energy is spent on the good stuff I wouldn’t take back, but I have a tendency to revert back to a lifestyle that could kill me if I didn’t get it together. I’m still very much in the process of getting “it” together. But I’m on to something.

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