Herbed Croutons and Sustaining Productivity

Our everyday eating patterns, especially when trying to eat healthfully, can become mundane. Sprinkling in a fun ingredient—like these herbed croutons--creates pops of joy that allow us to sustain healthy eating over the long term. They make salads and vegetable soups fun so that we eat them consistently over the long term.

The same is true for all things in life, and I want to focus on productivity here, because it’s the place where we often don’t apply this concept. We absolutely need to integrate pops of joy into our days to sustain our productivity, and, most importantly, so we also support our physical, mental and emotional health.

Our societal culture has somehow convinced us that we need to apply ourselves at an intense level for extended periods of time in order to be productive. But all research on the topic shows the opposite is true; when we work at moderate levels--taking breaks and putting pockets of space into our days—we are more likely to sustain our productivity, creativity and ingenuity over time.???

The time off brings us back physically recharged and, cognitively, we’re more likely to bring a fresh perspective that wasn’t previously available to us.???

So, what are your figurative croutons??What are the pops of joy you can incorporate into your day to enable a healthy and sustainable approach to work, family and life?

Herbed Croutons

(Can be made Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free)

Ingredients:

1 loaf of stale bread**

? cup olive oil

Pat of butter (substitute with plant-based butter for vegan/dairy-free option)

? tsp garlic powder

? tsp onion powder

1 ? tsp salt

? Tbsp minced fresh rosemary

? Tbsp minced fresh thyme

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut loaf of stale bread into equal, bite-sized cubes and spread evenly onto the baking sheet. In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently warm and mix together the olive oil, butter, garlic and onion powders, salt, rosemary and thyme, no more than 1-2 minutes.?Generously brush all sides of the bread cubes with the herbed oil mixture. Bake for 25-35 minutes, tossing half-way through, until the bread cubes become crispy and crunchy. The more moisture in the bread to start, the longer the baking time you’ll need.

Notes:

* Any type of bread will work—French, Italian, Ciabatta, etc.?I, personally, like a dense, whole-grain, seeded bread as they make for really flavorful, highly crunchy croutons while also providing health benefits

* For those with celiac disease, choose a certified gluten-free packaged bread or one made in a dedicated gluten-free kitchen/facility