How's Your BLOOD?

Another great article from Natural News - on BLOOD! Your blood's health is vital for your overall health - your blood feeds every cell in your body. Fortunately, you have control over the health of your blood, starting with what you eat everyday. How can you create good blood and keep it clean, which in turn, will benefit every part of you? Read on to find out!
http://www.naturalnews.com/028075_blood_health_transformation.html  

Creamed Sesame Dandelion Greens

I had such a delicious dinner tonight, and I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes I included, from the Greens Glorious Greens cookbook: Creamed Sesame Dandelions! Dandelion greens (that's right - the leaves from the dandelions growing in your yard!) have a bitter taste that may take some getting used to, but in this recipe, the bitterness is masked well by the tahini and garlic. Dandelion greens are so beneficial to our health, so it's worth a little bitterness. This recipe also uses calcium-rich tahini (a paste made from sesame seeds). I'm sorry I didn't include a photo - my husband and I gobbled them up before I could think twice about it!

Creamed Sesame Dandelions

2 cups water

1 pound dandelion greens, washed, stemmed and shopped into small pieces

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

salt to taste

2 tablespoons tahini

3 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoons tamari (naturally brewed soy sauce)

freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Bring two cups of water to a boil in large 10 or 12 inch skillet with a tight fitting lid. Add chopped dandelions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the cooked dandelion greens and set aside (you can save the liquid broth to drink as a hot tea - I know, may sound scary, but I do like it).

2. Heat oil over low to medium heat in the skillet and saute the garlic slices for 1 to 2 minutes, until light golden brown. Stir in the pre-cooked dandelion greens and a pinch of salt if desired. Cover to cook over low and heat for 1 to 2 minutes to let flavors mingle.

3. In small bowl, combine tahini, water and tamari and mix until creamy. Pour sauce into the pan with cooked freens and stir until thoroughly mixe. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.

Crock Pot Coconut Rice Pudding

Today I'd like to share a favorite dessert of mine: Coconut Rice Pudding, made in a crock pot. As desserts go, this is a much healthier option, but still has delicious sweet flavor. It uses brown rice, a whole grain, which is gluten-free and nutrient-rich; agave nectar or maple syrup instead of sugar,  both of which are lower-glycemic sweeteners that are minimally processed and all natural; and hemp, almond or rice milk instead of cow's milk. I love this comforting dessert on a cold winter day - it really warms you up and satisfies your sweet tooth without all the processed, sugary ingredients that are so damaging to our health. Plus, you just throw everything in a crock pot and let it cook!

Agave nectar or syrup can be found in most grocery stores next to the honey and tea or in the baking section. It is often located in the "healthy" section - Wild Harvest at Shaws or Natural Choice in Hannaford. Milk alternatives can also be found in these sections next to the cereal.

Photo: Kimberlykv via flickr.com

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Crock Pot Coconut Rice Pudding 

In this dessert, the whole grain, brown rice, is used adding great nutritional contentt. Agave nectar or maple syrup are also substituted for sugar, both of which are lower-glycemic natural, minimally processed sweeteners. Instead of milk, almond, rice or hemp milk is used, making this a great choice for those with dairy sensitivities or lactose intolerance. This is a gluten-free dish.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked brown rice, soaked for two hours or more and rinsed
4 cups almond, rice or hemp milk
1/3 cup agave or real maple syrup

1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil (melt on stove or in microwave first)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

Place rice in greased crock pot (grease with coconut oil or butter). Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Pour coconut oil over rice mixture. Cover and cook on high for 2 ½ to 3 hours until rice has absorbed the liquid. Cooking times may vary with different crock pots. Serve while warm. Use organic ingredients when possible. Serves 8

 

©2010 Kendall Scott Wellness, All rights reserved.

Fish Oil Supplements Prevent Mental Illness...

Take a look at this article on the benefits of quality fish oils and the damaging and monopolizing position big pharma takes when it comes to our health.


Personally, I believe that there is a place for conventional and holistic medicine. I went through chemotherapy myself and was pumped full of horrible drugs every two weeks for months. I also made some major changes in my diet and lifestyle, and am now cancer-free. Could I have beaten the cancer without the chemo? Maybe. I would even say, probably. In any case, eastern and western medicine can often work together, and there are benefits to both depending on the circumstances. It might be in our best interest to begin to consider what changes in diet, lifestyle and herbal supplementation can do for us before we begin taking drugs that may be putting a band-aid on symptoms, but in many other ways are just hurting us.

My hope and belief is that my cancer will not come back, BUT if it did, before jumping into chemo and/or surgery again, I would do my best to help my body heal naturally. Our bodies are pretty amazing and when given the right tools, such as a healthy diet, they can heal just about anything.

Rat Poison Drugs...

NaturalNews Tip of the day (from Mike): 
"Have you seen all the recent news reports warning people to avoid 30 different herbs if they're taking certain medications like warfarin, a blood thinner? (Also sold under brand names of Coumadin and others...) It's funny how the media always says "Stop taking the herbs!" when they should really be saying, "Stop taking the rat poison drugs!" Warfarin, as many of you already know, is indeed made out of rat poison. It's not an urban legend, it's a chemical fact. It works to kill rats by thinning their blood until they die from internal bleeding -- the same result experienced by some patients who overdose on the drug. Interestingly, the media never tells people to stop swallowing rat poison... they'd rather scare you into avoiding herbs."

www.naturalnews.com

Healing: You Aren't What You Eat...

The third part of the Healing Yourself in 15 Days article series from Natural News makes some excellent points about digestion and absorbing the nutrients in the food we are consuming. The article also touches on probiotics and yogurt, which is not a good probiotic source as the marketing messages claim, because it is pasteurized. Any pasteurized dairy product has killed all useful bacteria (probiotics) during the pasteurization process. 

Click the link below to read more!

Part 3 - You aren't what you eat - you're what you absorb

Heal Yourself in 15 Days - Part 2

This is from the second article in the series entitled Heal Yourself in 15 Days from Natural News.

"Healthy people aren't healthy just because they eat superfoods and drink living juices all day long. They are healthy because they avoid poisoning their bodies with pharmaceuticals, artificial sweeteners, MSG and other processed food ingredients. They avoid the chemicals in cosmetics, personal care products, household cleaning products and lawn care products. They avoid consuming meat from animals who have been pumped full of hormones and antibiotics. They keep their bodies as free from pollution as possible, and as a result, their innate healing powers are always working for them!"

Part Two in this series is all about your body's amazing ability to heal. When we listen to our body, give it the right tools, such as rest, whole foods and exercise and avoid damaging chemicals and stressors, our bodies can heal on their own. Click to read more.