Archive for January, 2023
Have a Heart II !
Hello again to you!
Friends are falling ill now to the flu that’s going around; the holiday season finally catches up and demands payment 🙂
Following up on my first post about the biggest muscle, our heart, here are some other nutrients that contribute to its maintenance. Have a look at these items and give a thought to if you are / are not getting them in your diet. It’s worth investigating if you, like me, have arrhythmia. The other night I cooked popcorn and sprinkled it with cayenne powder, so I got an easy double shot of love!
1. Cayenne powder
2. Hawthorn berry extract
3. Magnesium
4. Co-enzyme Q10
5. Selenium
6. Silica
7. Vitamin D3
8. Iodine
9. Garlic
10. Vitamin C
11. Motherwort (as a tea)
Have a Heart!
As a diet & nutrition adviser I am constantly keeping up-to-date on things nutritionally related. It probably stems from my own personal experience of helping my father deal with Diabetes Type 2, brought on by steroid medication, through nutrition. By following a healthy diet we actually were able to stop the insulin and manage his blood sugar. I can tell you that was a very happy moment indeed when we received that news!
That experience, along with my own interest in nutrition, had a profound effect on my pursuing a certification as a diet & nutrition adviser. So, while I also like to indulge and have fun on this blog and through my cookbook recipes, there is a time to share information on foods that have specific benefits on organs, the human body’s kind, that we may /may not be getting enough of. Today’s post then is all about that pumping muscle that works so hard that we should reward it for all it does for us. Have a heart when it comes to your heart! And if you’ve seen this information before, good! Start this week with your shopping for these foods if you haven’t already acted. How many of these do you eat 2-4 times a week?
1. Yogurt with live, active cultures
2. Raisins
3. Whole grains
4. Beans
5. Salmon/Tuna/Walnuts/Flaxseeds
6. Nuts (specifically walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachio, pine, and peanuts)
7. Dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
8. Tomatoes (cooked, or sauce)
9. Apples
10. Mixed berries (1 cup daily)
11. Pomegranate and/or its juice
12. Bananas (1 daily), sweet potatoes (1 daily), or 1 cup of spinach (daily)
13. Popcorn (that you cook on the stove or air-pop, not microwave)
14. Green tea (at least 12 ounces daily)
15. Wine/alcohol (1 drink equals 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or 1.5 ounces liquor) Obviously this is only for those without dependency issues and with the approval of your own doctor in case you take medications. Barring these circumstances 1-2 drinks daily, 4-5 times per week, for both men and women is a safe guideline.
Ciudad de los Reyes
Today is Epiphany, a holiday celebrated by 26 countries around Planet Earth. With slight cultural variations all of these countries seem to agree that there were Three Kings (Tres Los Reyes) representing Europe, Asia, and Africa who were guided by the shining star in the East to witness the mystery of manifestation.
Bulgarian men brave icy waters in a men-only dance called the Horo. They show their virility, prowess, and determination to the women gathered about in the hopes of inducing an epiphany or two 😉
A piece of music for the Horo can be heard here and I imagine it helps to keep their minds off of the freezing water while they’re splashing about!
It also appears that it is a joyous day for many other reasons, and food has its role in the festivities. Kings Cake is the favored treat to eat on this day, so here’s a recipe fit for a King (or Three). Wishing you many epiphanies and the mystery of manifestation, Kings and Queens!
EPIPHANY CAKE
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
grated peel of 2 oranges
3/4 cups orange juice
1 cup self-rising flour
a pinch of salt
almonds
icing sugar or frosting
Method:
Grease a (9″) 23 cm mould, or pan with butter, then sprinkle inside pan with flour, tip out any excess flour.
1) Cream butter & sugar, until light and creamy.
2) Add eggs, one at a time beating mixture well.
3) Add orange juice and grated orange peel to the mixture, and beat until smooth.
4) Sift flour and salt, gently fold into mixture.
5) Place mixture in 23 cm round mould.
6) Press an almond or almonds into the mixture.
7) Cook in a moderate oven (170C/325F) for about 45-55 minutes. Check only once at 40 minutes and test with a toothpick.
8) Let cool for 10 minutes then turn cake out of baking pan and dust with icing sugar, or cool completely then frost.
New Year, New You
A new year, a new set of resolutions to live a more fulfilled and happier life. Change is not so easy, the best plans go haywire, intentions get mixed up, and sometimes we just throw in the towel.
I like the beginning of a new year, a whole 12 months of new possibilities. After the last few weeks of sugar, alcohol, and food excesses it’s time to swing the pendulum the other way and look ahead already because summer always arrives faster than I think it will.
Today then, a very good soup to give your engine a tune-up. Astragalus roots can be found in Chinese medicine shops and they boost the lymphatic system. If you can’t find them, no matter. Just make and enjoy the soup anyway. And if you’re inclined to do a bit of Amazon browsing, they’ve put together a list of products for us New Year’s Resolutions Junkies at the link below the soup recipe (my twin sister blog) — you know who you are.
IMMUNITY BOOSTING SOUP
1tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 large leek (white part only)
2L of water (or chicken/vegetable broth)
250mL celery chopped
250mL green beans chopped
3 astragalus roots
500mL carrots chopped
2 large potatoes chopped
450g chicken or turkey cut into small pieces (or firm tofu)
1 cup of pasta (whole wheat, rice or quinoa)
Basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, sea salt and black pepper – added to taste
In a large soup pot, saute onion, garlic and leek in olive oil until browned.
Next add 2L water or broth and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the tofu or leftover chicken or turkey and simmer for 30 minutes. Next, season to taste and add pasta, simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove astragalus roots and serve warm.
http://ourworldatyourtable.blogspot.co.uk/p/new-year-new-you.html
Our World at Your Table 