Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy

Raspberry-Almond Tart (Bake-Well Tart)

2012-02-14T16:42:00.000-08:00

Bake-Well Tarts

Makes 2 9-inch Tarts

This recipe was demonstrated for me by my dear Brittish friend Aimy Kersey, extraordinary mother, wife, actor, cook, and a pretty good salsa dancer. These traditional English tarts are a particular favorite at tea-time and during the Holidays. The buttery almond flavor combined with sweet jam is heady stuff. Feel free to make your own pastry crusts, but store-bought work just fine. Aside from spreading jam on the bottom of the crust and mixing up the filling in the processor, this recipe is so quick and easy it all but bakes itself.

Ingredients

2 frozen pie- crusts in 9-inch shells

Filling

3 tablespoons jam (raspberry, blackberry, marionberry, or a combination)

2-ounces raw almonds (about 1/3 cup)

4-ounces sugar (about ½ cup)

2-ounces flour (about ½ cup)

4-ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)

2 eggs

1-teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Using back of spoon, spread jam uniformly over bottom of each frozen pie- crust. In a food processor, grind almonds with sugar and flour until finely ground. Add butter, eggs and almond extract and continue to process until mixture is whipped and fluffy. Spoon almond mixture over jam, extending all the way to the crust, encasing jam completely.

Bake in preheated oven for about 30-minutes, or until knife comes out clean. If desired, glaze tart by painting it with warmed jam and decorate with sliced almonds. Cool refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be frozen in pie tin in sealed storage bags for up to 1 month.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy

Quinoa Pilaf

2012-01-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

For a yummy main course made from steamed quinoa and savory vegetables, you cannot beat this pilaf. It was featured on KUTV2 News at Noon, Thursday, January 5. To watch the clips, visit www.miraclepilltruths.com. Click In the News for this and other cooking segments.

Quinoa-Walnut Pilaf With Butternut

Squash & Caramelized Onions

Serves 4-6

*Quinoa is an ancient grain with a spiral shape and tiny kernels. It has a pleasant nutty flavor and cooks up similar to rice. Quinoa can be enjoyed hot as a side dish or in cold salads.

*Toast walnut halves by placing on a baking sheet in a preheated 375 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes, until fragrant and beginning to brown.

*Use a standard potato peeler to remove the peel from butternut squash.

2 cups dry quinoa*

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil, divided

3 tablespoons butter, divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon

1 large onion, cut into 1 inch dice

1 teaspoon honey

1 cup uncooked butternut squash, *peeled, cut into 1-inch dice

1 cup toasted walnut halves*, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, finely minced

2 jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced

1 tablespoon dry ground ginger

1 cup tomato juice or V-8, vegetable stock or water

1 cup corn kernels, canned or frozen

1 (9-10 ounce) package prepared fresh spinach leaves

1 avocado, sliced

2 cups drained plain yogurt (preferably whole milk)* see method below

Cook quinoa in 4 cups salted water in a covered pot on the stovetop, or use a rice cooker. Quinoa should absorb all the water and still be firm.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and honey, and stir to coat with oil. Cook until onions begin to brown and take on a sweet caramel flavor (about 5 minutes). Add diced butternut squash, walnuts, and sage. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until squash begins to brown but is still firm (another 5 minutes). Add garlic, jalapenos, and ginger and cook for one more minute. Add more oil if pan seems dry. Add liquid and corn, and stir to incorporate any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. This is called de-glazing the pan.

Stir cooked quinoa into vegetables. Season pilaf generously with salt and pepper. Stir in remaining one tablespoon of butter. Keep warm on low heat.

In a large pan, wilt spinach in the remaining teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Place a bed of spinach on each plate. Top with quinoa pilaf, avocado slices, and a dollop of thickened yogurt (or purchased sour cream). Serve. See Thickened Yogurt recipe below.

Thickened Yogurt

Why cook with yogurt instead of sour cream? Because it is lower in saturated fat and has a distinctly tangy-rich flavor. Yogurt is also creamier with a smoother mouth-feel than sour cream. If you are short on time, don’t bother draining it and just plop a spoonful over anything you would garnish with sour cream.

Method

To thicken yogurt, set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to catch drips and drain whole or low fat yogurt in the refrigerator at least an hour and up to one day. Store in an airtight container for up to one week. Use in place of sour cream.

Worthiness

2011-12-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

It came as a great surprise to me that an all-too-common roadblock in my reader's and client’s pursuit of health is the overall “permission” to care for them-selves. Deep down inside they just don't feel worthy. Balance is a perpetual pursuit and requires putting our body’s needs ABOVE all the other productive things we do—but, not INSTEAD of those other things. Freedom from weight battles requires innate clarity about who they are and who they can become. The question is: are you worthy?

To achieve balance our physical body requires a yin yang of various foods and activities through the day, week, and year. These needs are unique to today, and unique to us, which is why we must be crystal clear on the pecking order of life. Can we do it all: have successful full lives and at the same time answer the cry from our bodies to have an orange when we need one? Yes, effortlessly. People all over the globe do it every day. But, without a foundational premise of: My Body is Paramount, we repeatedly sacrifice essential fuel and activity to the myriad of other tasks in our day. There comes a point in the coaching process when most of my dear clients say they are mystified as to why they did not get the salad they needed (instead of the meatloaf), or eat breakfast before 2 p.m., or carve out a window of time for activity, or stop eating when they really did not want more food. They have legitimate reasons for these choices. But when reminded they want to be FREE of weight issues the realization always flows out: “I don’t feel like I can put myself first. I don’t feel worthy. I am scared to take care of my body. I don’t believe I can be free.”

Ever felt this way? I did.

The root of these paradigms is unique to each person. Some heard childhood messages that they weren’t “enough.” To be inadequate and unacceptable as a youth makes a powerful imprint on identity. Some experienced traumatizing betrayals in adulthood and defined themselves by it. Some have sacrificed for others to the extent that they become habituated to being on the 3^rd or 4^th tier of priority—if they show up on any tier at all. Regardless, it is a true revelation when a client embraces their opportunity to make a “blueprint” for their body in their head. Deciding to design their lives for health and an ideal weight is a turning point in their journey. We know our beliefs precede our actions. What we believe is what we become. There is a moment when we decide to believe we are worthy of self-care. But we simply cannot take that leap of belief until we decide to trust our bodies (their design, messages, and prompts) and justify ownership of our health, minute-to-minute. The “justify” part is the leap. With all the love in my heart I encourage, prod, remind, nag, and mirror their perfection back to them until they re-define themselves as worthy to take care of their bodies.

What makes us valuable enough to claim? The answer is beautifully stated in Marianne Williamson’s profound quote from her book: A Return to Love:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

While snuggling today on my chaise with my 5-year old, we read I Am Special, by Max Lucado. As we came to the part when the wooden puppet, Punchinello, visits his maker, Eli the Woodcarver, I got all choked up. My son looked up and asked me why the gray dots given the sad, lonely puppet by the other puppets didn’t stick after talking with his Maker. I told him the love of the Maker was what mattered—not the stars or dots stuck to him by those around him. And the Maker loved this wooden puppet with infinite care. Because he was The Maker's, he was special. I explained how Punchinello learned to care more about what his Maker thinks than about what others think--which rendered the dots un-stickable. I don’t know if he got it. My boy is only five. But, this allegory reminded me that our worthiness is inherent. We were made to be in balance. Any mindset, belief, or premise that separates us from living in balance with our bodies also separates us from the One who made our bodies. We are worthy of care because we are divine. Talk about a great justification for making a leap of faith!

Tres Hatch is the author of: Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Whole Grain Chili (Meatless)

2011-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

My dear coaching client—Marilu in Gig Harbor, Washington—recently sent me a recipe for Meatless Mexican Filling. As she claimed ownership of her body and began to hear its signals, she began to crave high-flavor, meatless, dishes. Those plant-food cravings resulted in this fantastic whole-grain and lentil pilaf that lends itself to endless flavor profiles and combinations. I modified it slightly and added plenty of suggestions for ways to enjoy it as part of your favorite dishes.

Although I don’t like to make “alternative” dishes by substituting out the meat or fat, in this case I find the taste inherently delicious. I don’t consider it an adaptation but rather, a contemporary spin on rice. Whole grains have a rustic, nutty flavor and when cooked al dente have a toothy mouth feel, similar to ground meat. Could you add a little pork sausage or beef? Sure, but with plenty of flavor and texture you just don’t need it. This preparation stands alone.

Meatless Whole Grain Chili

Makes 12 cups

Although red quinoa is less widely available, it is lovely in this dish because it keeps the appearance darker—more like chili with meat. Swap in other alternative grains such as: teff, kamut, spelt, millet, hemp seed, or chia seed. Feel free to use this basic mixture as a foundation for many different flavor profiles. Instead of chili flavorings try using Italian herbs and garlic, Indian curry spices with peas and coconut milk, Moroccan spices with almonds, carrots, squash and garbanzo beans, or any other flavors you like. Serve this hot with sour cream and corn bread, as burrito filling, or as a delicious stuffing for squash, cabbage, pork loin, or peppers. Alternately, try it cold piled on top of salad with avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and ranch dressing.

For Grains:

1 cup lentils

1 ½ cups brown rice

½ cup yellow or red quinoa

½ cup barley

½ cup whole oat groats (*optional)—available in bulk bins at many markets

2 teaspoons salt

For Chili Flavoring:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced small

2 large bay leaves

3 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons lemon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons sweet paprika (smoked or regular)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon—or to taste of dried ground hot chili (arbol, cayenne, New Mexico, pasilla)*optional

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (or 1 ½ cups diced fresh tomatoes with juices)

1 cup water or vegetable stock

4 cups fresh spinach, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

In a rice cooker prepare grains with salted water according to manufacturer’s directions, or use 2 cups water for every 1 cup grain. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large lidded pot. Add onion and dry spices and sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and water and stir to deglaze pan. Set aside until grains are cooked.

Stir cooked grains and lentils into the onion-spice mixture. Add spinach and stir. Simmer on low heat for up to 2 hours. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Add more water or tomatoes if mixture becomes dry. Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to a week. Freezes well.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Picnic at Horseshoe Falls

2011-10-14T11:09:00.001-07:00

Are you in denial? Have you found yourself climbing into the car wearing iconic summer gear such as capri pants and flip flops (or manpri pants for you he-man types)? Sure it has been below 40-degrees at night and we’ve already had snow slide off the roof and fall on our heads as we slammed the door on the way out. But, for a few more weeks we can still pretend the tomatoes will turn red on the vine and there might be a warming spell from that delicious golden-Utah sun. To better illustrate my melancholy I turn to a picnic in the mountains, which fortuitously snuck in four days before autumn hit with a freezing hammer.

Horseshoe Falls sits halfway up the rugged convergence of two Alpine mountains. Little more than a natural spring rolling over logs in the waning days of August, it is a roaring thunderous waterfall in springtime. With a vigorous hour-long ascent through pine and granite, it feels tremendously gratifying to pass a natural meadow, take the bend and finally crest at the falls. With my treasured sister and dear friend (in the truest sense of the word—this friend is the one who stayed up all night to tend my baby when I was ill) we spread our checkered blanket next to the gurgling brook, took out our cache of goodies and picnicked like summer was a never-ending massage.

Note the San Pellegrino in plastic goblets, buttery Wisconsin Blue Cheese, crusty artisan bread, strawberries, and an outrageously good Lindt milk chocolate bar infused with orange essence and studded with roasted pistachio chunks. I would be hard-pressed to conjure a meal that would be more of an indulgence than this was to our sweaty bodies in that breathtaking setting. We took off our shoes and wiggled our tired feet in the warm air. All this while filling our expanded lungs with blue sky mountain air and watching the last day of snow run-off splash over rocks into the valley below. I raised my plastic cup to summer—and not a moment too soon. With my electric heating pad, extra down comforter, fuzzy purple robe, and slippers at the ready I can ease into freezing temperatures, but only if this memory cushions the blow.

Pumpkin, Kale & White Bean Stew with Sage

2011-10-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

With the onset of cooler weather, my thoughts run to long-sleeve shirts, swaths of red and orange leaves staining the mountainside, and gloriously comforting fall food. Stews, slow-braised meats, home-canned pickles and preserves, sweet breads, and any excuse for chocolate dominate the autumn gastronomical landscape. Yet, it need not be a time when we stop listening to our bodies and pound a gut-bomb of chili with cheese, and fried scones. Instead, there are endless possibilities for fueling ourselves with premium food while heating up our core with warmth and satisfaction. Think savory sage simmered with onions, garlic, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, kale, and silky white beans. These elements all come together in this recipe for Pumpkin, Kale, & White Bean Stew with Sage—a delightful way to use up those Volkswagon-sized zucchini left anonymously on your doorstep, along with the last home-grown tomatoes of the year. Entirely vegetarian, this dish needs no chicken stock or flavoring cubes for a rich stock. For fun presentation serve it up in a mini-pumpkin shell, a shaving of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and a hunk of crusty artisan bread. Bring on the tailgate parties, Halloween costumes, and firewood. But mostly, bring on the food.

Pumpkin, Kale, & White Bean Stew with Sage

Serves 6

This Tuscan vegetarian dish is the perfect way to use up late-summer herbs, tomatoes, kale, onions and zucchini. In a pinch, canned tomatoes will do. With bold flavors and a rich stew texture, it screams ‘comfort food’ as the weather turns colder.

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cups baking pumpkin (sugar pumpkin), peeled and cut into medium dice

3-pounds very ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 15-ounce cans white beans (Cannelini, Great Northern, etc.), one can drained and rinsed

3 cups baby kale, chopped (if using large leaves remove center vein) or spinach

2 cups zucchini, chopped or shredded

4-5 large fresh sage leaves, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley or 1 teaspoon dried

a pinch crushed red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot on medium heat. Add onion and pumpkin and sauté for a minute. Add garlic and cook for only 30 seconds stirring constantly. Add tomatoes with their juices all at once. Add the drained can of beans and then dump in the second can with its juices. Stir to incorporate. Add kale, zucchini, sage, and crushed red pepper flakes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. It may require a lot of salt- beans are funny that way.

Simmer on medium low for at least ½ hour, stirring occasionally. If mixture seems dry add water and a bit of olive oil.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Zucchini Cornbread

2011-09-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or are you finding yourself, this time of year, hiding zucchini in your kids breakfast smoothies, cold cereal, and peanut butter sandwiches? I am all about using up these gorgeous courgettes (in French they sound less pedestrian) in the hopes that the “anonymous” donations on my front porch won’t go to waste. To that end I want to share the most delightful quick bread: Zucchini Cornbread. Is it savory or sweet? Well…the answer is “yes.” Sprinkle chives and cheddar on top and it is savory. Drizzle honey or peach jam over a slice and it is sweet. Regardless, it is perfectly moist with a delicate crumb and appealing summer-yellow color. Most zucchini recipes can use all colors of squash interchangeably—which means summer squash or beautiful variegated Mexican zucchini can be used in place of standard green varieties. When they are enormous and over-mature, just peel the tough skin and use the tender flesh inside. Trust me, in December you will be grateful you froze bags of shredded zucchini when you get a powerful yearnin’ for this bread. This recipe is adapted from Sara Dickerman’s published in Bon Appetit, July 2011.

Zucchini Cornbread

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter plus more for pan
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup buttermilk (or milk stirred with 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
1 large zucchini (about 10 ounces)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

Position a rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter a 9x5x3" loaf pan.

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Transfer butter to a medium bowl. Set aside and let cool. Whisk in eggs and buttermilk.

Trim zucchini ends. Thinly slice five 1/8" rounds from 1 end of zucchini and reserve for garnish. Coarsely grate remaining zucchini. Add shredded zucchini to bowl with butter mixture and stir until well blended.

Sift both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in cornmeal. Add zucchini mixture; fold just to blend (mixture will be very thick). Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top. Place reserved zucchini slices atop batter down center in a single layer.

Bake bread until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely on a wire rack. Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy .

September Morning with Granola

2011-09-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

The morning light was banana yellow against blue sky and fluffy, white clouds. I sat with my new friend on my patio looking out on ridiculously long grass and never once thought of mowing because I was sharing a splendid treat. Warm vanilla-scented granola with almonds, oats, and yes, corn flakes, atop a pillow of plain whole-milk Greek yogurt. Oh yes, there were even fragrant, tree-ripened peach slices to complete the dish. Like Ernie and Bert, peanut butter and jelly, chickens and Martha Stewart, these elements were meant to come together in a perfect zen celebration of my September morning and its magnificent beauty.

This granola is good on its own--perhaps even in the month of February, but it is especially nice served with yogurt and fruit. The following recipe is an excerpt from Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy, by Tres Prier Hatch.

Tammy’s Granola

Makes 12 cups

In big microwave-safe mixing bowl mix together:

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup honey

½ cup water

Place in microwave for five minutes. Watch carefully, it will bubble up. Add:

3 teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

Pour liquid over:

8 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or 7-grain mix

4 cups nuts & seeds: almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, millet, quinoa, shredded coconut (unsweetened), corn flakes, wheat germ, etc.

Stir to coat oat mixture and spread in an even layer on four ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 275° for 45 minutes up to one hour. When cooled scrape granola into a large bowl with metal spatula. Add dried fruit if desired: raisins, currants, sultanas, apricot, prune, fig, date, mango, pineapple, banana, pear, apple, cherry, etc.

Store in airtight container. I keep a tub of granola in my pantry and extra in the refrigerator to keep the nuts and seeds fresh.

*Feel free to experiment with your favorite additions. Try amaranth, golden flax seeds or any other seed. Alternative grains are available in health food stores. Try millet, barley, spelt or kamut. As long as they are rolled or chopped fine, they can be added. Try natural maple syrup in place of some honey. For variety sprinkle cinnamon or other spices on the oats before baking.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Amano Chocolate Buttercream

2011-09-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

We all know cake is just a vehicle to get more frosting in our mouths. To that end, I recently had a powerful need to frost a moist, rich yellow genoise cake with a buttercream worthy of such a noble platform. Standard issue chocolate frosting involves dry, dusty cocoa whipped into powdered sugar and butter. In contrast, nothing can replace melting premium chocolate and beating it into a mixture generously endowed with unsalted butter, powdered sugar, Tahitian vanilla, and a splash of cream. Sure, some purists dislike the chalky texture of uncooked frosting due to a lacing of cornstarch in the powdered sugar (to keep it dry and fluffy). But, for ease of preparation raw buttercream cannot be beat. Just plop the heart-stopping ingredients in a standing mixer and whip until you have a fluffy frosting. No thermometers, no whipping egg whites, just one bowl, and beaters to lick in less than 5 minutes.

So, a-whipping I went. And the critical component, of course, was the chocolate. Rather than degrade all those calories with mediocre couverture, I decided to spring for the good stuff: Amano chocolate. To be fair, Amano is the sponsor of all my tastings at speaking engagements and I do have a box of this premium chocolate sitting in my house—just begging to be used. It’s an unfair advantage, I know. But I broke into my stash because there is a reason Amano is the “winning-est” chocolate in the world. Amano Chocolate tastes INCREDIBLE. It is single-sourced from the best plantations, roasted, ground, and poured in small production batches by fanatical chocolatiers. Each variety has a complexity of flavors and notes totally different from the others. Who knew Orem, Utah, has a hidden factory that would make Willy Wonka jealous. To get your hands on Amano Chocolates you can visit their retail store in the industrial side of Orem. It is well-worth the trip to see truffles so beautiful they should be in a museum. While you are there, I highly recommend you indulge in the free tasting of chocolate bars to discover the remarkable diversity of flavors—all in the name of science, of course.

Amano Chocolate Buttercream

Yield: Frosts a 13 x 9-inch cake or two 8-inch rounds.

1-pound powdered sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream, or more

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch kosher salt

1 2-ounce bar Amano chocolate (any variety), broken into small squares

Melt chocolate in the top portion of a double boiler over medium-low heat, stirring frequently with a spatula. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large standing mixer, pulse powdered sugar and butter until combined. Add all remaining ingredients and beat on high until fluffy. Add more cream if mixture is dry. Frost immediately, or keeps in a sealed container in refrigerator up to three days. Bring to room temperature before using.

The Amano Factory Store is located at:
450 South, 1325 West
Orem, UT 84058

801-655-1996
amano@amanochocolate.com

www.amanochocolate.com

Summer Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm, Monday through Saturday
Winter Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm, Monday through Saturday

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy

What Size is Your Soul?

2011-09-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

What size is your soul? And does your body match its outline? When your body doesn’t match your magnificent soul, there will be problems. Namely, we become dissatisfied with our bodies. This incongruence between our spiritual dimension and physical dimension creates weight issues, beauty issues, and eating disorders. It can also contribute to extreme fashion statements such as: gothic clothing, tattoos, piercings, and other tendencies.

While coaching a client this week I recognized the desperation associated with this disparity between her true profile and the one she wears on the outside. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin. Like a suit that doesn’t fit well; puckering in the wrong places and getting in the way. Over the course of the previous week she had sabotaged her weight loss with binges and escapes. When pressed for a reason, she confessed it was motivated by fear of success. She was panicked at the thought of losing weight and going into uncharted territory as a “thin” person. She didn’t know who she would be if she lost weight. I reminded her she was actually resuming her “original” size. Her true self, or soul, was the perfect size for her. With better balance and health the unneeded weight would be stripped away revealing her good ole self underneath. With peace and relief she understood that rather that embracing the unknown she was, in fact, becoming whole—going home.

Replace fear with faith in your body—warts and all. We were designed to be in balance, which means to function as well as possible given limitations outside of our control. Some things we cannot prevent, but we can feel gratitude for the working parts and manage well the things under our control. Even when working through diabetes, grief, allergies, and other wild cards we can revel in the perfect design of a body that wants to be honored with healthy connections.

Never be afraid of healthy changes to your body. Rather, celebrate your brilliant soul as you assume the size, shape, power, and profile you always were.

Tres Hatch is the author of: Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy

Porcini Garden Burger

2011-08-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Unlikely, though it may be, one of the best veggie burgers I have had in a long time came from a joint famous for its generous use of bacon and other meats. I am referring to Skillet Café in Seattle, which I previously blogged about to share the delights of their now-famous (and Costco featured) Bacon Jam—cured bacon mixed with caramelized onions and reduced balsamic vinegar. Although Bacon Jam was originally made popular by Skillet’s mobile kitchen in an Airstream trailer, the new Skillet Cafe scored impressive points with this farro-based “burger,” infused with slabs of porcini mushrooms and lounging on a brioche bun worthy of brioche calories. Equally impressive was the grilled cheese sandwich. Basic, true-to-form, it was slabs of cheddar and gouda oozing out from between giant slices of perfectly toasted bread. Comfort food done right is truly a comfort and Skillet does not disappoint. Even the cobb salad was terrific with a perfectly soft-cooked egg on top of meaty hand-cut bacon slices. Sure there is eventually lettuce at the bottom, but who am I kidding? Presenting the egg in this way allowed the yolk to coat the other salad components, elevating them—similar to the way a true Carbonara sauce allows the richness of egg yolk to carry an otherwise simple dish. I washed it all down with a “Peach-Basil Fresca.” This delightfully refreshing concoction consists of pureed fresh peach, orange juice, lime juice, fresh chopped basil, and soda water. It is served over ice. As I rounded the back corner of the restaurant I happened upon the chef vigorously mixing up this drink in a 20-gallon bucket. He confessed to adding a bit of sugar to the mix, but used a deft hand because it was neither too sweet nor too watery.

As a tip of my hat to this luscious meal, I am sharing the recipe below for “Meatless Garden Burgers.” It has been adapted from the original recipe in my book: Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy, by Tres Prier Hatch.

Skillet Diner

1400 East Union Street, Seattle, Washington 98122
(206) 420-7297
sunday-thursday: 7am - 12am
fri & sat: 7am - 2am

Meatless Garden Burgers with Porcini

Makes about 36 4-inch patties

Have you ever thought, “I bet I could make that”?

This recipe came from reading the ingredients of a very tasty commercial grain and vegetable burger and deciding to make my own version. According to the judging panel at my house, the homemade burgers win! Believe it or not, these vegetarian babies taste better to my kids than burgers made from ground beef. They freeze well and can be plunked into the frying pan direct from the freezer.

5 cups cooked brown rice

2-ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

1-pound fresh white mushrooms, finely chopped

4-ounces sliced porcini mushrooms, soaked in boiling water until reconstituted

1-ounce cheddar cheese, shredded

1-ounce Parmesan cheese, shredded

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked

1 cup barley, cooked al dente, cooled

½ cup bulger wheat, soaked in 1-cup boiling water (optional), drained

½ medium onion, finely minced

2 tablespoons green or red bell pepper, finely minced

2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted in ½ cup boiling water, drained

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric (for color)

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, whisked in a small bowl with a fork

olive oil for frying

Make Patties

Preheat oven to 375-degrees. Using large paper towels, squeeze as much moisture as possible from diced mushrooms, onion, bulgar wheat, bell pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Porcini mushrooms will be the only large chunks in the mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Using a wide spoon, scoop ½-cup handfuls of mixture into your hands. Form into balls approximately the size of an egg. Compress slightly. Flatten into 4–inch patties of uniform ¼-inch thickness. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet until all the patties are formed.

Bake sheets of burgers for 20 minutes, until cheese starts to ooze and patties start to brown. Cool completely on parchment. Bag patties and store in freezer until ready to use. They keep frozen for up to one month.

To Serve

Heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry patties in batches, leaving space between them so patties will brown. When golden crisp on one side, flip garden burgers onto the other side. Serve patties on toast or buns with mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce and tomato.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Ode to Harry Potter--Chocolate Sticky Pudding

2011-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Without exception, this is the most sinful dessert I have eaten in a long time. Here in the US it often called a chocolate cobbler, but in truth it is a classic English Sticky Pudding. Harry Potter may love his traditional treacle pudding (gooey, sticky cane syrup caramel), but in this version chocolate offsets the sweet and boosts the indulgence factor by a huge margin.

So, what is a chocolate sticky pudding? It is a the marriage of a blondie cookie crust, atop swirls of fudgey chocolate sauce, served warm and spooned into a bowl with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. With a pedigree of two sticks of butter and plenty of sugar, it hits the right note of comfort rich and toothsome sweet.

This recipe’s stock went way up with me when I realized the whole thing went into the oven in about 3 minutes. Just add hot water—literally. As the recipe indicates, resist the

urge to stir in order to get a beautiful marbled crust. Pouring boiling water over a batter seems counter-intuitive, but remember, you are making chocolate sauce while your oven does all the work. This is the perfect dish to toss in the oven right as your dinner guests arrive and pull it out just in time for dessert. So in honor of the final Harry Potter movie’s release, please enjoy my ode to Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Moldywort.

Chocolate Sticky Pudding

Serves 8

2 sticks butter

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 ½ cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup milk

For chocolate layer:

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the two sticks of butter in oven in a 9 x 13-inch casserole. In a medium bowl mix the 1 ¼ cups of sugar, flour vanilla and milk. Pour the batter over the butter, but do not stir (it won’t seem like enough batter but don’t worry). In a small bowl stir to combine cocoa and remaining 1 cup sugar. Sprinkle over top of batter. Do not stir. Pour the 2 cups of boiling water on top of the whole dessert (don’t stir) and bake for 30-45 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Serve warm.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

50% off Stadium of Fire Tickets

2011-06-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

I want to share this screamin' good deal with you:

The Daily Herald is Utah Valley's Newspaper and the Freedom Festival is Utah Valley's way to celebrate the fourth of July. This year as a thank you to Utah Valley the Daily Herald, a Festival sponsor, is offering sponsorship Stadium of Fire tickets so we can celebrate together! 50% off and NO TICKET FEES for this exclusive, one time only, deal brought to you by the Daily Herald.

Deal of the Day website (heraldextra.com/dealoftheday)

The Arugula Fairy

2011-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

After ten luxurious days lounging on the beach in sunny San Clemente, California, I returned to my garden with bronzed skin and renewed interest in dirt, weeds, and all God’s plants. Early that first morning back home I padded in my slippers out to my rock garden boxes (low-lying Stonehenge set in grass) to discover the arugula fairy had definitely stopped at my house. This sweet/peppery green had grown to the size of giant cabbage leaves. In my absence the cold and rain encouraged the arugula to show off like I have never seen—and to do so with tender sweetness. As I harvested, baskets were full to overflowing. I grazed the whole time. There are Billy goats that could not eat as much arugula as I ate. And then, like the Little Red Hen, I went inside carrying my treasure and made myself a giant salad out of the beautiful oak-shaped green.

With its assertive flavor and tenderness, arugula likes to partner with fruity, sweet flavors. Strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and almonds are a classic combo. As is oranges, feta, and arugula. Arugula also makes a great appearance on a ham and cheese grilled sandwich as well as in a chorizo sausage omelet. Getting hungry? I know I am. The following recipe got cut at the last minute from my book Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy, through no fault of its own. Which is a real shame because this lemon-garlic-caper dressing over freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts, and arugula is a home run—help me I’m swooning. Enjoy.

Arugula-Parmesan Salad

Serves 4

When you can find beautiful fresh arugula in the market (known as “rocket” in England), enjoy this no-nonsense salad inspired by the flavors of Tuscany. Alternately, grow it yourself in a pot outside your door. Every spring this peppery green volunteers to sprout up in my garden amid more reluctant vegetables that have the sense to wait until the snow melts. Arugula loves cool weather and develops sweetness in early spring. Harvest it young for the mildest and most tender leaves. The bold flavors of this salad pair well with an entrée of roast lamb, tomato and zucchini ragout, or garlic-rubbed steaks.

1 small clove garlic

2 tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley

1 teaspoon capers, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups baby spinach, washed and dried

2 cups arugula, washed and dried

1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Parmigiano Reggiano or Asiago cheese for grating

Black pepper

In a small processor or blender, puree garlic, parsley, capers and lemon juice. Drizzle in olive oil and blend until emulsified. In a large bowl toss spinach and arugula with dressing. Divide between four plates. Sprinkle salads with pine nuts. Using a vegetable peeler or hand grater, top salads with cheese and a grind of fresh black pepper, and serve.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Cookies or Muffins?

2011-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life presents a quandary and this week it was: cookies or muffins? So I made both. Determined to use up a gargantuan amount of leftover pack pumpkin, I began with the following recipe from Taste of Home Magazine for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not only were they ethereal (note the past tense), but they were the perfect texture of soft and cakey, with a surprising snap to the outer crust. The inclusion of oats gave them greater moisture and heft. Perhaps…the perfect cookie.

Although tempted to make several more batches of these cookies, I had the wild hare to branch out with muffins. I took one look at a recipe I had for “skinny” Pumpkin Muffins and promptly modified it to feature chocolate chips and a sufficient quantity of sugar. Choking down an inferior muffin with half the sugar doesn’t benefit me when it is primarily a white flour cake made with butter. I’m just keeping it real. With the badly needed inclusion of chocolate and the nutty texture of sunflower seeds on top, these muffins are outstanding. They have none of the sour-metallic flavor prominent in some baking powder quick breads and with a moist crumb inside, they were gobbled up before I could say “carbohydrates.”

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes approximately 48 cookies

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

¾ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour (our use half whole wheat and half white flour)

1 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In bowl of standing mixer cream butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat well. In a large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon. In three additions fold dry mixture into butter mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Sunflower Seeds

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

¾ cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

sunflower seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. In a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Line a regular muffin pan with paper liners or brush muffin tins with oil. In large bowl of standing mixer beat butter until soft and fluffy and then beat in the sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Carefully, stir in pumpkin and milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill muffin cups with approximately ½ cup batter and sprinkle tops with sunflower seeds. Bake about 25 minutes or until muffins are puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Gratitude- Top 10 Lists

2011-05-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

I espouse wholeness. Connecting our spirits and our bodies creates harmony and builds a complete soul. To this end I ask readers to try this exercise: Identify your top ten best physical features, and then rank your top ten worst features. This exercise has a point. Please do it now. Scribble your lists on a napkin, notepad, or even better, write them in the comments section of this blog. Don’t think or censor, just write 10 best features and 10 worst.

How many items actually made it onto your “best feature” list? Did you strain your brain to find more than five? This exercise often reveals the second list to be much longer than the first. Sadly, we tend to rehearse our flaws in our own minds as well as discussing them with others. But, rarely do we shout to the world that we have beautiful hands and an elegant nose. When was the last time you told someone, out loud, about your best features?

Identify which items on your “worst” list are not remedied with greater health and balance. (Put a star or doodle by these.) For instance, height won’t change no matter how healthy we get. Put a star by it. If I am short-waisted and have a weak chin, all the weight control in the world won’t give me a longer torso and a stronger jawline. Do not put a star by the things you can fix with surgery—no surgery will ever help you make peace with the body you have been given. Even with a boob job, there will be other traits you despair over.

Universally, we easily identify flaws but we are thoroughly unaccustomed to acknowledging attributes. Was your design a mistake? If you believe in God you know, “He don’t make no junk.” So, what could possibly make us hold ourselves up to a fantasy standard that is unachievable (height, torso, chin) and therefore, by definition, inadequate?

The answer is gratitude. When I criticize myself I just plain forget to lose myself in gratitude. It is easier to knock my skinny lips and wide hips than it is to feel grateful for those hips ability to safely birth my glorious children. When I grumble about my thin hair I forget I got it from my beloved Grandma—no thin hair also means no Grandma. It is easier to hate my love handles than to recognize I go to bed without hunger. In India millions of orphaned street children live with hunger in crushing poverty and desperation, day-in-day-out, yet my compassion for those in need stops when all I can focus on is my own jelly belly. Gratitude is the answer. Gratitude is also the paradigm out of which true harmony with my body is achieved. I cannot properly “hear” my body’s messages if I am engaged in self-criticism, and it is by connecting to my body in a healthy way that I get prompts of what to eat and when to stop eating. Psychological warfare with myself won’t help me become permanently thin and healthy. Gratitude is the foundation for thinking thin.

For all those items above marked with a star or doodle, make peace with each one of them by identifying how they are a blessing in your life. Say aloud the following sentence:

Without (insert feature here) I would __________________________________________.

Personally, I am grateful for my muscular thighs. They weren’t designed for modeling skinny jeans but they were endowed with the strength to hike Angel’s Landing at Zion’s National Park with my children. My German thighs can dig dirt and squat in the yard, allowing me to grow herbs, vegetables, and flowers. My legs can dance West Coast Swing all night long and can do endless squats in a Zumba class. My thighs power big jumps in volleyball and help me lift heavy bags of flour and sugar for baking. I can waterski and snow ski without injury or exhaustion. On this lap I held all three of my babies. Most important, I can walk. I can run. How fantastic! These are thighs worthy of my gratitude. Never again will I disrespect my design by imagining I need legs different than the ones I have.

Tres Hatch is the author of Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy.

Chicken-Mango Salad

2011-04-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever opened your refrigerator to make dinner and found nothing but odd combinations of seemingly unrelated food? Perhaps an onion, half a bottle of caramel sauce, and miso paste; hmmm. To quote the Cake Boss: “Not for nuttun’, but waddya gonna do?”

In my recent foray into the realm of “make something out of nothing” I came up with this rather tasty chicken-mango salad. I know mangoes are not normally found lying about most American kitchens, but now is the time to indulge in this fruit because it is in-season and inexpensive. Select a variety of soft and firm mangoes so you can eat sweet mangoes today and have them ripen as you want them. If you are not a mango lover, which, incidentally, is the most widely eaten fruit in the world, you will be a fan after tasting the sweet, juicy, piney, peachy flesh. If you thought the prize went to bananas and apples for highest consumption, you need only to look a little further South towards the equator where human populations are dense and mango trees flourish.

This salad can be served on toast and over a bed of lettuce equally well.

Chicken Mango Salad

Serves 6 as an entree

If the prospect of separating the mango pulp from the skin and pit seems daunting, read the tip below.

2 (14.4 ounce) cans chicken chunks, drained (reserve broth for another use)

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1/2 small Persian cucumber, finely diced

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1 mango, finely diced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 big glob mayo (about 1 cup)

salt and pepper

generous dash lemon pepper, or zest of 1/2 lemon

garnish with salted nuts and crushed tortilla chips

In a large bowl mix all ingredients well and adjust salt and pepper for seasoning. Serve over lettuce or on toasted bread.

*To dice a mango run a knife all the way through the middle (top to bottom/North to South) along one plane of the flat pit. Hold mango half without pit in palm of hand and score down to the skin in narrow slits. Rotate and again score crosswise down to the skin. Invert mango so flesh pops out toward you. Run a knife along the base by the skin to release attached pieces. Repeat with other half.

Ganache that’s good…

2011-04-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

One question I am frequently asked: what is ganache? This topic may come up with great regularity because I obsessively talk about the decadently-rich chocolate confection. But, regardless of the source of the prompt, I am happy to elaborate on one of nature’s more perfect luxuries. Ganache is a combination of semi-sweet or dark chocolate (not milk chocolate) and cream, melted together in varying proportions. Equal parts chocolate-to-cream results in a mixture that, when cooled, thickens to a firm fudgy consistency. Use more cream, and it sets up softer, almost a sauce. Ganache is the stuff frequently found in the middle of a chocolate truffle. Or, as I like to call it: breakfast.

Ganache is used in more than just candy centers. When warm and liquid it can be poured over baked goods and then sets up to create a chocolate glaze. It can be allowed to stiffen and then formed into shapes as a decorative accent. Another innovation is to allow ganache to set up in the refrigerator until firm but pliable, and then whip it in a standing mixture until light and fluffy—to spread like frosting on cake and cupcakes. Add a spoonful of light corn syrup to melted ganache and it will stay soft and pliable, rather than setting up firm like chocolate bark.

However, my favorite use for ganache is to drizzle warm mixtures over vanilla bean ice cream. It hardens against the frozen cream and the texture explosion in my mouth is fantastic. Cold ice cream melts on my tongue in tandem with the buttery-tasting chocolate ganache. First, vanilla cream, then chocolate cream. Oi Veh! I need oxygen.

Use only good quality chocolate and cream because you will taste them both, unadorned, in ganache. I like any good bar chocolate: Amano, Lindt, Trader Joes, Guittard, Cadbury, Ghiradelli, Cote d’Or, etc. Use chocolate chips when in a pinch, but try to keep a great bar of chocolate on hand for a ganache emergency. Whether you actually use it for ganache or not, you will be prepared for the end of the world, because we all know chocolate will become the new currency.

The following recipe features a chocolate ganache glaze over zucchini brownies.

Zucchini-Walnut Brownies

With Ganache Glaze

Makes one 9 x 13 pan

(From Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy, by Tres Prier Hatch)

No one in my family suspects zucchini is hidden inside these moist brownies. They are nice and chocolaty, but not overwhelmingly rich. Try using light olive oil instead of canola or cooking oil. By my estimation, with zucchini, nuts, dark chocolate and olive oil they are practically health food.

2 cups zucchini, finely grated

½ cup oil

1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

¼ cup cocoa

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

6-ounces good quality dark chocolate

½ cup cream

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a large bowl mix zucchini, oil, sugar and vanilla. In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Gently stir in nuts. Mix until just combined. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan with cooking spray. Spread batter into pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Cool.

In a small bowl set over (not in) simmering water, melt chocolate and cream together, stirring frequently. Add more cream if mixture is quite thick. Pour melted ganache over brownies and use an offset spatula to spread to edges of pan. Refrigerate to set icing. Cut into squares and serve. For perfect slices, dip knife in hot water and wipe dry before cutting each slice.

Tres Hatch is the author of: Miracle Pill 10 Truths to Healthy, Thin, & Sexy. She eats chocolate every day.

My daughter's Freedom Essay

2011-03-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

New Threats to Freedom Scholarship Essay
By Kelsey Hatch

In response to the video, “Goodwin: The freedom to fail”, I wish to expound upon the idea that the loss of the freedom to fail destroys the pursuit of happiness. Not only do I wish to confirm this posit, I also want to demonstrate how the loss of the freedom to fail, ultimately results in the destruction of the American Democracy, the American dream and America’s purpose, in this world.

The Constitution guarantees the American people the right to the pursuit of happiness. As stated in the dictionary, the denotation of pursuit is, “an effort to secure or attain; quest.” So, in essence, the American people are guaranteed the right to a quest or an effort to secure their happiness.

It is common knowledge that in any pursuit, there must be failure and success. Only through mistakes can a person learn how to succeed. So if a person has freedom to make mistakes, or fail, then they have the freedom to succeed and vice versa. Also it is universally accepted that people feel happy or proud of themselves when they succeed or fulfill a goal. This reaction to success is human nature. Success is a fundamental factor in obtaining happiness.

The right to the pursuit of happiness is one of the cornerstones of the Constitution. It is also one of the key elements of the American Dream. The American government and culture were originally built to house the right to the pursuit of happiness. Because of our democratic government, the people have the opportunity to pursue whatever success they wish. True, that it does not guarantee happiness, but it guarantees the pursuit of happiness. I acknowledge that not all pursuits for happiness will be successful. There are outside factors playing into the efficiency of democracy and capitalism. Also, through the progression of time and the evolution of democracy, the American dream and capitalism is influenced. It does not change, but it takes on other meanings and connotations as the people grow in experience and knowledge. When boiled down to the bare minimum, the loss of the freedom to fail results in the loss of the freedom to pursue. The loss of the freedom to pursue results in the loss of the freedom to succeed. When the freedom to succeed is destroyed the entire purpose of the American democracy and the Constitution becomes meaningless, as the privileges guaranteed through these rights fall out of existence.

The loss of the freedom to fail does not affect only one constitutional right, or one group of American citizens. Rather, it affects the American democracy and the Constitution as a whole.

The freedom to fail must be protected. For without it, America’s purpose to its people and their happiness is essentially lost.