Food For Thought

If you are eating well you shouldn't feel tired.

Salt tends to over-stimulate the adrenal glands, whereas sugar tends to over-stimulate the pancreas.

If you are experiencing headaches, cold sweats, or get cold just after eating, your body is giving strong signals that you are out of whack. 


Coffee stimulates the endocrine/nervous system as a whole. It can over-stimulate our nervous system. If you are experiencing sharp spikes of energy with subsequent 'crashes' you may want to look at caffeine as a culprit. Carbohydrates can be another hidden simulator with a similar spike and crash pattern.

Using stimulants to kick an under-nourished body is rather like beating a tired horse. If your body is not looking or acting the way you would like, be prepared to make the necessary changes.

Food should energize through nutrition, not stimulation

I remember reading an article about a young man who traveled across the United States for employment and used only hot sauce to keep him awake, rather than coffee.  He arrived in New York State feeling alert and energized.

Being out of the spiral of stimulating foods means that I can trust my body to nudge me towards what it really needs. 

There are certain foods that just make me feel better. My body loves carrots, spinach, dandelion, kale and beets. These are my own personal super foods. I crave them. Sometimes I want meat. I tend to use the 24 hour delay button here and see if I can make my body happy by supplementing protein and Floradix iron or having a meal with beets. If that does not satisfy, then a meat meal it is.

Foods I would avoid:

Junk foods/Prefab foods/Franken-foods, refined foods, Sugar/Salt laden foods, Canned foods/Frozen Foods, Toxic Fats/Deep Fried Foods, De-vitalized foods, Moldy foods such as mushrooms, peanuts and pistachios, simple carbohydrates and Carbonated drinks.

Eating Lower on the Food Chain

The higher up on the food-chain that we consume, the more accumulated toxins the food contains. 

Eating lower on the food chain not only means cleaner food, but can also mean less expensive food. 

(Diet for a Small Planet)

Another name for diet is ‘food style’. One ‘food style’, known as ‘food combining’ which is outlined in the
The Fit for Life Diet. ( advises eating proteins and carbohydrates at separate meals.  This really takes the stress off the whole digestive engine).  

The Blood Type Diet is a wonderfully researched thesis that focuses on the genetic/antibody link to foods.  For example, Type O is typically the meat eating, hunter/gatherer, whereas Type A is Agrarian.  Type A’s usually do well with a vegetarian diet.

We are hardwired for Feast and Famine.  You can’t fool the body.  If you have a ‘starvation and boom and bust’ kind of eating style, your body will prepare for famine and conserve every calorie.  Deprivation just doesn't work to control weight. Maintaining a personalized food style works.

The wise choice is to eat foods that are lower in calories and higher in nutrition.  Usually people eat food that is nutritionally empty, laden with calories, and too much of it.

When high activity makes physical demands on one’s body, repair with quality protein and eat just enough carbohydrates to maintain a good energy level.  The best choice is complex carbohydrates such as unrefined whole grains, which allow a slower glucose release into the bloodstream.

It isn’t just what we eat, but when we eat.  The Body Type Diet looks at the dominant glandular tendencies and food choices that over-work specific endocrine glands.  For example, I notice that if I eat too much too late in the day, I am unusually hungry all the next day.  If I eat a heavy breakfast, I am unusually hungry all day long. It doesn’t work for me.

When your systems are working well, and your food style is in balance with your life, still be prepared to make ongoing changes.  We are constantly changing too, and our food choices need to reflect our real needs on a personal and physical level day to day.

My favorite diet is The Dolly Parton Diet. The reality is that your first taste of anything is an explosion of sensation in your mouth.  The second taste is good, but by the third spoonful, you can no longer taste what you are eating. A teaspoon of anything isn't too much, calorie wise, but why eat volume when you can no longer taste your food?

Staying Healthy with the Seasons

Changes in the seasons create big changes in the body.  Extremes in temperature and humidity can really stress the body’s coping mechanisms, not only in detoxification but endocrine balance as well.

This is the wisdom behind eating watermelon and cucumbers, raw foods, fruits and salads that cool us in the heat of the summer.  In the winter we are attracted to soups, stews, foods that are oven baked.  All of this tends to create more warming for the body.

With this in mind, we can maximize our personal ‘house-cleansing’ of primary elimination systems at these peak times of year.  In the spring, the body is focused on cleansing the liver system, which includes the blood and intestines. In the fall, the body is focused on flushing the kidneys and the whole genito-urinary system and cleaning the blood. 

A simple way of looking at this is that in the spring the wood element is highlighted – hot and juicy (liver), and full of growth and expansion. In the fall the water element is highlighted – cold and damp (kidneys), and 

the body is conserving and contracting.  The foods we eat every day make a tremendous change in how effective these peak times are maximized.  The quote “Let food be your medicine” is certainly true.

What is your personal super-food?

I have been approached by so many people over the years, each selling a plethora of products guaranteed to ‘cure whatever ails ya’.  How could one product be good for everyone? For example, Chamomile herb is in the same family as ragweed.  Needless to say, it doesn't affect us all in the same way. 

Fortunately, by using bio-feedback testing, such as specialized kinesiology, it is easy to assess what your personal needs are and what specific nutrients meets this need in the most body-friendly way.

 

The following is a list of nutrients that in my experience have been on many people’s ‘top picks’ of super-foods.  Don’t assume that you need to supplement all of them.

ü  Green Food Blends (Vegge Green) - These blends nourish, as well as detoxify & alkalize the body.

ü  Minerals: Make sure these are ‘body friendly’

        

Calcium

            Magnesium

            Iron

            Iodine

            Multi Mineral

ü  Antioxidants:

            Co-enzyme Q 10

            Network Antioxidants (Phytoberry)

            Lutein

            Grapeseed Extract

            Lycopene

ü  Digestive Enzymes

ü  Digestive Tonics

ü  Essential Fatty Acids

ü  Vitamin C (Ester C)

ü  Vitamin B & B Complex

Manufacturing quality is always important. Choose top quality companies.  Be tested and make sure that the brand you are using is really performing for you, and that you are getting the optimal amounts. 

What I mean by that, is some people are taking too much at once whereas taking less over a long 
period of time would help make profound gains in well'being. I have to say again, that if you are not 
putting top quality in, you are not going to experience the change your hoping for. Worse yet, what you are using may by toxic, or a elimination burden to your body.

Spend a little more and get a lot more results.

Healthy Meals on a Budget of Time and Money

I am always amazed when clients say they can’t eat a healthy food style because they don’t have the time or the money. 

In reality, eating well is usually easier; in time and cost.  From a health viewpoint, eating real and fresh vegetables, whether raw or lightly cooked is offers more nutrition. 



It is always better to eat consciously
What does this mean?  Is is the ability to assess what your body needs and use food, herbs and spices to balance the body?  For example adding a dash of chili sauce to a soup helps our body start its furnace.  This is especially helpful when there is a rapid temperature change and we just can't seem to get warm.

Simple food can taste good and be extra nourishing too. 

My family’s food culture leaned towards the abundance of bread, cow’s milk, cheese meat and wheat.  When I was faced with avoiding all of these things for allergy and health reasons, I was really panicking.  What was I going to replace these with?

What I decided to do was flip cultures.  Asian and East Indian cooking easily avoided these staples and thus avoid the North American food rut.  Learning how to cook simply, using natural and fresh ingredients was my goal. I needed to learn different prep skills.

Think:  Cooking for a family of 12 with 1 pot and a Bunsen burner (and sharing an ounce of meat).

I was patiently coached by a friend who was a card carrying vegetarian. I also took some cooking lessons. 

What most simple foods require is a focus on developing and building flavour 
Learning methods of building flavour was the biggest epiphany for me.  The ingredients don't really matter so much.  Just work with ingredients on hand.

I remember seeing a recipe in a magazine for an Asian-style-cauliflower-coconut milk – fresh lime- thing. When I followed the recipe to the letter it just totally didn't work!  I made it again by using the flavour building system that I know, it was totally awesome!  The recipe 'my way' is below.

Theory:
The rule of thumb is that when you are using fresh and raw foods, keep flavours simple so you can taste the food. Sauces should compliment flavour, not cover it.  The simpler, the better.

Asian food has a balance of flavours: 

Salt, sweet, sour, bitter and hot.

Salt- this can be fish sauce or oyster sauce, shrimp paste or soy cubes. 

Sweet- this can be soy sauce, honey, molasses, pickles, and agave or brown rice syrup. 

Sour- is vinegars and lime or lemon juice, or tamarind paste. 

Bitter- is usually the bitter dark greens that are common in Thai recipes. 

Hot- is chilies, chili sauce, chili paste, ginger, onions and garlic.  Wasabi or horseradish can also be used. I just love PC ‘Memories of Thailand’ Fiery Chili Pepper Sauce.  I use it as a dip as well.

Cauliflower Soup with Cumin and Lime

1 tsp black mustard seed
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 inch fresh ginger root, cut into thin slices
1 tsp ground cumin
2 medium onions diced
4 TBS oil (light olive oil)
1 Head chopped cauliflower
4 cups stock or stock/bullion cube combination
2 cup coconut milk

4 tsp fresh lime juice or more to taste
Herbamere or sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

First Make Flavoured Oil

In a large saucepan, heat the oil.  Add the mustard seed and heat until they start to pop.

Turn heat to medium  and add the garlic and ginger root.

Remove them when the garlic just starts to brown

Cook the Onions and Spices
Add the onion and sauté until transparent.
Add the cumin and sauté for 2 minutes. Add a little water if necessary to keep spices from scorching

Next, throw in all the vegetables and the liquid (milk/broth and bullion cubes)
Add the cauliflower, coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.  Cook until the cauliflower is tender.

You can use small cubes of potato to add with cauliflower for a heartier soup.  IF you need to intensify the flavour, add as many vegetable bullion cubes as necessary.

To Serve:  Blend with a hand blender and add the fresh lime and Herbamere.

You can add a dash of any hot sauce, or my favourite, Thai chili dipping sauce.  Yum!
Garnish with a thin slice of lime and parsley or cilantro

Planned Attack:
When I have a windfall of vegetables I cook the vegetable part (not the onions because that is in the 'flavour department') separately and refrigerate or freeze this if I don't want to use it right away.
When I am ready to cook the meal I make the flavour part in a separate saucepan and then add the vegetable mixture to it.  Using frozen vegetables does not noticeably change the taste of the soup, but fresh is better of course. 
Enjoy
Nelda

Noodle Salad with Oriental Dressing

These days I am on a roll.  I want noodle salad with oriental style dressing.  For health reasons I do better with less wheat and gluten so I am using rice noodles.  Soba (buckwheat noodles) is a great choice too.  Asian salad just hits the spot when the weather feels too cold for tossed green salad.

This recipe has many uses and many forms.  Any leftover cooked vegetables can be dressed with this.  Top with grilled chicken, or seafood to create a full meal.  

The Oriental Dressing also makes a great marinade, especially for grilled chicken or shrimp.  It can be noodle heavy, or have little noodle but lots of vegetables.  When there is a plethora is greens, this works well too.

Note:  Arame is a Japanese sea vegetable that looks like black noodles. Grab a pinch and soak it in warm water, Saki, Tamari or soy sauce. Sea veggies are loaded with minerals and are a wonderful source of iodine. Iodine feeds the thyroid gland and boosts stamina and immunity. 

 Oriental Dressing

 ½ Cup Brown Rice Vinegar or sushi style seasoned rice vinegar

½ Cup Agave Syrup (amber)

2 Tbs water

1 large clove garlic, minced fine

1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 Tlbs organic Grape seed oil or any mild tasting oil

½ tsp Toasted Sesame oil

1 tsp hot sauce or to taste (or more if desired) Here I use President’s Choice PC Choice Fiery Thai Chilli Sauce.  It is available locally and is the perfect balance of taste and spice.

1 tsp grated Lime Zest or 4 drops of Lime Essential Oil

Shake well and store in refrigerator

Have available wedges of fresh lime to squeeze over the top

Method:

Cook or soften any style of noodle such as Soba (Quick: I like vermicelli rice noodles that you soften by pouring boiled water over) until tender and rinse well under cool water.  Don’t overcook.  

Topping Suggestions:

Slice green, yellow and red sweet peppers sliver thin. Add fresh snow peas or even defrosted peas are great.  ¼ cup Arame Sea Vegetable soaked in a little Tamari Sauce or Soy Sauce.

Arame sea veggie has an appearance of thin black noodles in the salad. (Found in Health food Stores).

You can garnish with either black sesame seeds or brown. Gomasio (Japanese condiment) is good too.

I have on hand slivers of raw carrot that I have marinated in dill pickle brine.  They are softer and more flavourful than raw.  You can use raw carrots or blanch the carrots and run under cold water.

Top with greens: cilantro, basil, water cress, parsley, bruised kale, spinach……

Remember that the simplest of foods can taste good and be extra nourishing too.  ENJOY!

Learn to Cook Delicious Vegan Food

"Let Food Be Your Medicine" - Hippocrates 460 B.C - 370 B.C.

My belief is that Food and health are intricately entwined.  With this in mind, I am offering a 4 week program for individuals who are interested in learning Vegan Cooking. 

Introduction to Delicious Vegan Cooking

Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.

Feb 20^th to March 13^th,

Costs:    $140 per 4 Weeks               

Space is limited to 8 persons so register early

This four week program is for those who are interested in cleaner food, a diet with less meat, low meat or no meat or for those who entertain dinner guests who have special needs.

This is a ’hands on’ class; the goal is to make real food for real people.

This is also an opportunity to learn how and why different foods balance and heal the body

Benefits of Vegan Cooking

·         Healthier food

·         Cost effective

·         Fast and easy to prepare

·         Tasty and interesting meals

·         Simple meals & Recipes for each lesson

What people are saying.....

“Only glowing accolades for the culinary skill of Nelda. Beautiful thing is, it’s the healthiest nutrition this body ever consumed. Nelda, being a wonderful authentic soul is always willing to share her knowledge and recipes with clarity, enthusiasm and obvious passion.” GM

 "During my training to become a Kundalini Yoga Teacher I was truly privileged and grateful to have Nelda provide our lunches for us. I was a picky eater most of my life but after experiencing Nelda's wholesome dishes, I quickly realized that I was discovering my spirituality through food just as much as I was through the other components of the yoga training.  With Nelda's gift to us of fresh, light & clean foods to which she lovingly shared with us, I feel I was truly tasting and experiencing food for the first time.  

Fingers crossed that there will be a 'From Nelda's, With Love' cookbook soon!" TM

 “I have had the privilege of attending events where Nelda has catered the meals and have to say that I have never been so well fed, with such interesting and delightful food! Without reservation, Nelda’s meals are above and beyond any other catered event I have attended, or dining out experience I have had.”

“Having also attended programs taught by Nelda, I have to say that Nelda brings to the ‘table’ a vast and well thought-out knowledge that she shares with such clarity that it seems like you should already know it, even hearing it for the first time! Her ability to see and understand all aspects of health-to then apply and/or share that with her clients and students in a manner that everyone understands, is truly a gift. I would strongly recommend her classes to everyone, and I look forward to future classes with her myself!” CH

For more information contact Nelda McEwen

For the Love of Chocolate

"I have a guest writer this time around.  Her name is Krista Peterson.  

Reading Krista's article makes me wish I liked chocolate.  I really don’t. To me it tastes like warm sweet mud. 

According to many experts (Kat, Lynn and Cory), I am really missing something!

For those of you who love chocolate, Krista provides some food for thought.  It’s great to know that chocolate does have many health virtues."

 Surprise! Food is good. And it should be good for you. Many of us spend our whole lives convinced that healthy and tasty foods are incompatible, opposites, two ends of a long, long spectrum.  But there is one tasty treat that can boost your energy, prevent or reduce cancer, and keep you looking young. Chocolate!

Fellow chocolate lovers, the good news is here. A little bit of chocolate goes a long way.  Dark chocolate, as rich, creamy, and mouth-watering as it is, is actually good for you in moderation. It boosts energy and can induce positive mood shifts.  It contains a bit of caffeine and theobromine, another stimulant, which both promote alertness. Dark chocolate also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that decreases anxiety by producing serotonin. Also, chocolate produces endorphins, natural hormones that can reduce your sensitivity to pain and lighten your mood.

Besides giving you a good dose of energy, dark chocolate can help you to prevent cancer. If you already have cancer, especially if it is aggressive like colon cancer or mesothelioma, chocolate may help. Consider mesothelioma treatment, a harsh process often including chemotherapy and tumour removal surgery.  Consuming dark chocolate, rich in flavanoids (a type of antioxidant) can lessen the negative side effects of brutal treatment by neutralizing free radicals, or oxidants, on a cellular level.  With other alternative treatment options, a moderate dose of dark chocolate, the darker the better, can balance potentially harmful oxidation in cells, preventing cancer or improving the quality of life for cancer patients.

In addition to being delicious and good for your insides, dark chocolate can work wonders for your skin. Along with helping you to maintain a healthy blood pressure, the antioxidants in dark chocolate increase blood flow to the skin, leaving it looking younger and feeling smoother. Studies now show that sugar, not cocoa, is the cause for skin blemishes that were thought to have been products of too much chocolaty goodness.  The antioxidants in dark chocolate even protect your skin from sun damage, though additional protection is always advised.

In all, dark chocolate, the tasty temptation, isn’t really all that bad. Despite an increase in calories, dark chocolate boosts energy and uplifts moods, prevents and reduces cancer, and keeps your skin healthy and young.  Of course, this doesn’t mean we can drown ourselves in sweetness. But it does mean that dark chocolate makes a healthy and delicious once-in-a-while snack.

Krista

krista.peterson925@gmail.com

Ok chocolate lovers, here are some chocolate-loving links to two of my favourite foodies. 

Miss Phoo-d is a food-visionary.

 http://phoo-d.com/2010/12/23/dark-chocolate-mousse/

I have been the recipient of many wonderful things that were created in Amy’s kitchen.

http://zoetalors.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunday-in-kitchen.html

Many thanks to Krista

Keep well_

Nelda

Food For Life

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The other day my favourite downstairs neighbours invited me to join them for lunch.  We were chatting together about the foods we liked, and Mike asked me a very intriguing question.

“If you had to choose a full meal of your favourite foods, and you would have to eat this one meal only for the rest of your life, what would it be?”  It would include 1 beverage, 1 salad, 1 main course, 1 bread and 1 desert choice.

This really got me thinking.  These choices would have to keep me happy and healthy.  After some pondering time, here are my choices.

Beverage would be my homemade tonic iced tea.  I love this stuff.  It is a meal in a glass that is the perfect refresher between clients, or to bring my blood sugar to an even keel if I’m over hungry.  This way, I can avoid the Piranha Feeding Frenzy.

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Tonic Tea Recipe
In a large teapot add_

2 bags organic Orange Pekoe Tea

1 bag Lemon Zinger Tea – Celestial Seasonings

1 bag Hoodia Slimming Tea – Bija

1 bag Cranberry Tea with Roobos – Bija

Add any mild tasting herb you need:  Raspberry leaf, horsetail, nettles (I like 1 bag Flora Uri tonic Tea)

Fill teapot with water that has boiled (4 Cups) and steep until cool

Put into a large jug

Add 1 can PC Choice naturally flavoured Lemonade

Add 1-2 Heaping Tablespoons Minute Maid Pink Lemonade/Limeade. 

Chill in the fridge and serve in a beautiful glass with a wedge of lemon or lime and a sprig of mint.  Any leftover fruit can be frozen and used in place of ice cubes.

This ice tea is great for balancing blood sugar and supporting kidney drainage for those who ‘puff’ with the heat.

The salad would definitely be a field green or Mesclun mix with tomatoes and cucumbers and red onions sliced thin, tossed with my simple homemade balsamic dressing.  Options would be grated carrots, cubed avocado, green onions, lightly grilled asparagus, chopped fresh herbs such as lemon thyme, Thai basil, cilantro, mint, ….

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Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

-->2 parts oil to one part white or red balsamic vinegar - If you find dressings have too much bite, add 1 tablespoon of water. (Red Balsamic Vinegar is strong tasting – so add a little less than the full part)

Crush 1 garlic clove and add to oil

Add 1Tbs of Dijon mustard (emulsifier)

Herbamere to taste and whisk or shake well

The main meal would actually be another salad with a little more body and more 'warmth' to it.  This would be a whole grain salad, such as organic whole grain rice, barley or my very favourite, Quinoa.   The parsley, arugula and fresh mint growing like explosive bushes in pots on my deck are part of the big appeal.  I could really live on this.

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Quinoa Tabouli Recipe

! Cup of the largest, whitest Quinoa you can find (organic Bolivian)

Quinoa has a resin on the outside which will be bitter is you don’t rinse like mad

Put in a large measuring bowl and add cool water

Whisk vigorously and drain carefully (over a sieve so you won't loose any)
*Repeat this rinse at least 5 times and cover with water to the 4 cup mark

Soak for 8 hours on counter (or in fridge if you need to buy more time) and grain will almost triple its size

Meanwhile:
Soak ¼ Cup organic raw Sunflower seed and ¼ Cup organic raw pumpkin seed in water for 1 hour (refrigerate them at this point if you need to buy more time)

Before cooking drain the Quinoa carefully 
*Rinse and whisk another 5 times.

Drain well and transfer to a good rice pot

To the plumped soaked Quinoa add 1 cup of cooking water

Bring to a boil, stir

Put lid on and turn off heat

Time for 8 minutes. Careful, you want an el dente grain

Take off the lid right away and test.  If it is not cooked to perfection (water fully absorbed and tender) time for 3 minutes more and test again.
When it is perfect (but not over-done) fluff with a fork, and let it cool in fridge

Basic White Wine Vinaigrette Recipe
in a medium salad bowl-

½ Cup canola oil

¼ Cup white wine vinegar

Herbamere (Vogel) 
Whisk well just before adding the vegetables

1 Cup cherry tomatoes halved

1 Cup Cucumber diced

½ Cup Green onions chopped

1 Cup Red pepper diced

1 Cup Parsley chopped

Rinse and strain the seeds and add to vegetables

Mix well to coat.

Add quinoa and stir lightly to mix

Quinoa has a very delicate flavor and can be overpowered by strong herbs so keep it light  

Cover and marinate in fridge for 1 hour or so. 

Bread was the one category I had no interest in.  I passed on this one.  However in retrospect, wouldn't want to face a whole life without  PEI Style Homemade Biscuits.
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PEI Biscuit Recipe  – from Carol Harris

 3 cups flour

1 scant tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 Tbs sugar (or less)

Stir well

Make well in center

Add 250 ml (small carton) whipping cream

Fill empty carton with water up to the line of the first bend

Stir, it will be sticky

Dump onto floured counter top and scrape bowl

Flour hands and work dough

Put into a mound and flatten to ¾ inch (rolling pin)

Poke top with a fork

Cut biscuits with a cutter (a can with the top and bottom removed will do)

Spin and plump up each biscuit as it is cut

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 15 to 16 minutes at 400 F.

Dessert?  My mind was playing over the choice of fresh mixed berries with fresh whipped cream on the side.  Would I eat this every day?  Probably not.   

What I did choose instead was my smoothie recipe, made with fresh mixed berries (in a most perfect world with no winter).  This would be a perfect meal on its own, either for breakfast, lunch on the run, or as a light supper. 

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In the real world, I try to work with fruits in season, unless it is winter (months and months of it here).  This is when I use frozen mixed berries.  I buy a big bag and divide it up into single servings.

Smoothie Recipe
8 ounces pure water

½ banana (optional)

¼ cup berries

½ ripe avocado (optional)

1-2 heaping Tablespoons protein powder (Rice Pro or Soy or Harmonized Vegan Protein

1 teaspoon Progressive Nutrition - Vegge Greens or Vegge Greens Blueberry Medley

1 Tablespoon Progressive Nutrition – Phytoberry Powder

1Tablespoon Berry EFA Plus (essential fatty acids) or 1 Teaspoon Super EFA Liquid

¼ teaspoon acidophilus powder (or open 2 capsules)

Blend with a blender/hand blender until smooth.  Dilute down with more water as desired.

Optional:          Use juice instead of water

                        Use peaches or any soft fruit

                        Use a purchased smoothie blend diluted half and half with water                       

Add 1 tablespoon organic golden flax seed, freshly ground or a soluble/insoluble fiber mixture

This mixture, probably because it is a little thicker than water, is a great way of me getting my daily vitamins down my throat.  I usually have my Multi, GSF Complex for adrenal support, selenium which is essential for me, and a herbal nervine formula which keeps my nervous system running strong and sturdy.

Would I enjoy these choices?  Yes, and better yet I would thrive on them.  Of course I would be (in a perfect world) living in a climate with no winter and fresh foods available all year round.

What would your choices be?

I hope this finds you well, happy and enjoying the wonderful fresh foods of early summer

Nelda

Container Gardening and the Lazy Cook

 
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Container Gardening
Apartment dwellers and those with less than perfect gardening options can still enjoy the fresh food experience.  Any small space outdoors that gets good sun for some of the day is a great place to grow culinary herbs; of course, the closer to the kitchen, the better.

Get bigger pots and intense plant all the herbs together.  This allows the soil to hold the moisture better between waterings as well as looking big, abundant and beautiful.  I always add at least one plant in the group just for 'pretty'.  Mesclun mix, lettuces and spinach do really well in large pots in any sunny area.  This is a good time of year to plan for the growing season.  Pots and garden stuff will soon abound.

Squirrels can be a big problem.  Finding a fertilizer that is safe for food can be a challenge.  There is one solution for both of these concerns in the form of 'bone and blood meal'.  I put about an inch of the granules on top of the soil in each pot.  The little rascals will not dig through it, guaranteed. This layer needs to be refreshed about once a month.  Some people place chicken wire near the top of the soil.  This works too.

I always plant tomatoes and basil together in the same pot.  For parsley, if you have the space, in the fall dig a hole and put in pot and all.  Cilantro (coriander) and dill will self seed. Rosemary will have to be brought in, but will survive through the winter.  Spearmint will usually survive anywhere, and often pokes up everywhere.  However, mint is an essential addition to a summer herb garden.

When my garden was limited to a balcony, I just had to bite the bullet and buy new transplants every year.  It was still worth it to have abundant and readily available fresh food all summer and early fall. 

The Lazy Cook

It is hard to be enthusiastic about cooking when one is hot and hungry.  Pasta is easy to cook in huge batches.  Divide the cooked pasta into serving sizes and store them in airtight containers in the freezer.  When you need it, either leave it to defrost, or run cold water over into the container and then drain.

The ‘no time to cook’ Basic Pasta with Fresh Herbs

1 Tablespoon cooking oil

1 Onion cut in crescents

1 clove garlic crushed

½ red pepper cut in slivers

3 mushrooms, sliced

5-6 sugar snap peas (or ¼ cup frozen peas added at the very end)

1 Morga Soy Cube softened in a little hot water, (or sake, or wine)

(1-2 Tablespoons) ½ to 1 cup of fresh herbs chopped coarsely – mint, basil, rosemary, Italian parsley, curl leaf parsley, cilantro

½ to 1 cup fresh greens

Fresh scallions - optional

Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Defrost Pasta and reserve.  Heat oil in a skillet/wok or saucepan and Sauté onions and garlic until lightly browned.  Add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until just tender, add the peas and cook until just tender-crisp.  Add the pasta and the water/soy cube and heat to serving temperature.  Serve by topping with fresh greens, herbs scallions and Parmesan.  Enjoy!
Keep well_
Nelda

Nutritional Solutions for Winter Ravaged Skin

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Many people at this time of year are noticing the discomfort of cracked fingers or are experiencing other weather irritated skin issues. It is important to remember that our skin is an organ. Our skin is responsible for regulation (fluids, temperature, and toxin removal) and protection. Basically it keeps our insides in and the outside, out.

With this in mind, it is important to nourish the skin from the inside out. Winter is a good time to supplement with essential fatty acids. When the body is nourished this way, you will notice a reduction of the need to use a topical moisturizing product, or that what you use topically will be more effective.

If you would benefit from intensive hand or foot treatments, I suggest buying a pair of light cotton gloves/socks. Slather on a heavy moisturizing product at bedtime and put them on to protect your bedding and keep the product on the affected area longer.

In respect to topical products, many natural based creams and ointments are available and are amazing in their ability to help heal the skin. A light application of Grape seed oil is a wonderful protection for dry irritated skin. The oil is more ‘skin friendly’ and is used by many massage therapists for this reason.

I keep a small vial of a mixture of Grape seed/Calendula oil handy. The benefits of Calendula are many. First, it protects the skin from bacteria entering deeper into the tissues. As an antiseptic, it reduces inflammation and itching of the skin. It takes the heat out of burns and soothes abrasions. Calendula also promotes and speeds healing. A light coating of this over my regular moisturizer provides a bit of extra protection before going outdoors.

It also stands to reason, to take precautions to clothe your self adequately when going out and about in cold climates. Gloves and scarves are a wonderful invention.

I am outdoors more; walking downtown or to my renovation site on a daily basis. I am also experiencing the drying effect of drywall dust on my skin and hair. At this time I am using Super EFA Liquid, Berry EFA Plus, Evening Primrose Oil, Black Current Seed based GLA. As well as nourishing my skin, I am nourishing my glandular system, nervous system and immune systems.

Be sure to keep well hydrated. Drink plenty of pure water. Also consume broth and teas on a regular basis. Also make sure that your trace minerals are up to snuff. I like to use sea vegetables (Gomasio) to meet this need. Minerals are responsible for holding water balance in our tissues.

Morning Smoothie

3 ounces pure water

½ banana

¼ cup frozen berries

½ ripe avocado (optional)

1-2 heaping Tablespoons protein powder (Rice Pro or Soy or Harmonized Vegan Protein

1 teaspoon Progressive Nutrition - Vegge Greens or Vegge Greens Blueberry Medley

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1 Tablespoon Progressive Nutrition – Phytoberry Powder

1Tablespoon Berry EFA Plus (essential fatty acids)

1 Teaspoon Super EFA Liquid

Blend until smooth. Dilute down with more water as desired.

Optional:

Use juice instead of water

Use peaches or any soft fruit

Use a purchased smoothie blend diluted half and half with water

Add 1 tablespoon organic golden flaxseed, freshly ground

Give this a try daily for two weeks and you will be amazed by the change in your skin.