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Listen to your Body & Stay Well
From the Daily Om:
Getting Back to Wellness
Seven Quick Fixes To Feel Better
The signals our bodies use to tell us we need to cleanse ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally are multifaceted and often mirror symptoms we associate with illness. If we heed these signs, we not only feel better quickly but also stave off poor health before it can start. These quick fixes for common ailments can get you started.
1. Applying pressure to the acupressure point between the thumb and forefinger can release blockages causing pain, tension, and fatigue. You can relieve a headache naturally by squeezing for 20 seconds and releasing for 10 seconds, without letting go, four times.
2. To breathe freely, irrigate your nasal passages with a neti pot and warm salt water. As you clear and soothe the sinuses, congestion associated with allergies or infection will gradually disappear.
3. Apple cider vinegar is a powerful purifying and detoxifying agent. Soaking for 20 minutes in a warm bath infused with two cups of apple cider vinegar pulls toxins from the body and can clear blocked energy.
4. The foods you eat can have a profound impact on your outlook and mood. Eating a small yet satisfying meal rich in complex carbohydrates can lift your spirit and help you let go of feelings of anger, irritability, and depression.
5. Anxiety and fear dissipate quickly when countered with conscious breathing because concentrating on the breath enables you to refocus your attention inward. You can ground yourself and regain your usual calm by taking a series of deep belly breaths as you visualize your feet growing roots that stretch miles down into the earth.
6. Though tuning out can seem counterproductive, a few minutes spent lost in daydreams or listening to soothing music can help you see your circumstances from a new angle when you feel frustrated.
7. If you feel ill health coming on, brew a wellness elixir. Simmer three sliced lemons, one teaspoon freshly grated ginger, one clove freshly minced garlic, and one quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper in five cups water until the lemons are soft and pale. Strain a portion into a mug and add honey by tablespoons until you can tolerate the taste. Drinking this potent mixture of antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal ingredients three times each day can ensure your symptoms never progress into a full-blown illness.
For more information visit dailyom.com
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Eggs-cuse me, I was wrong. Now try my breakfast burrito.
Dorky, but true. Here's my latest confession: I've been overcooking my Scrambled Eggs for pretty much my entire life. Until now, my eggs were always too dry with brown edges and tasted a little burned. Ick. It's easy to let them cook too long, especially if you're not into slimy runny eggs. I've even been preparing them the wrong way. It seems eggs don't like it when you beat the shit out of them before putting them in the pan. They won't cook properly. All it takes is a few stirs with a fork to break the yolk after you've cracked them into a cup. Once they're in the pan, start moving them around when th ey are just set. Remove them from the heat when they're a little bit runnier than you like them. Once removed, the eggs will keep cooking until they reach the proper consistency. Who knew!?! Smart little buggers, those eggs.
So here I sit with eggs scrambled to perfection. In the fridge is some leftover salsa from Thursday's takeout. What's a girl to do but make herself a scrumptious breakfast burrito. The breakfast burrito is a recent favorite of mine. There is a restaurant in my neighborhood that makes a colossal breakfast burrito that's probably three quarters of a day's calories in one meal. Perfect cure for a hangover, ridiculously delicious, but not exactly the picture of portion control.
Here's my lighter version, all for roughly 275 calories:
Perfectly Portioned Breakfast Burrito
Ingredients
¼ tbsp butter OR cooking spray
1 fresh farm raised egg
1 8 inch flour tortilla such as Mission brand
1 ounce shredded cheese
1 ounce of your favorite salsa
1 tbsp sour cream
salt
Instructions
Warm a small shallow pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, lightly beat the egg in a cup and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Once the pan is warm, spray the pan with cooking spray or toss in the butter. When the butter foams, gently pour in the eggs. When the egg begins to set around the edges, start moving it around. When the egg is a little more runny than you like it, remove it from the heat to let it finish cooking on it's own. Place scrambled egg and cheese onto tortilla and roll it up. Top with salsa and sour cream. Mmmm, eggs-cellent. Forgive me, I just couldn't help it.
See more posts like this at my other blog, Amber & Alice.
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Amber & Alice
Updates at Girl Healthy may be sparse lately as I've undertaking a new venture: Cooking my way through Alice Waters' cookbook, "The Art of Simple Food." I'm blogging about it here.
Average 1.0 starsJust Peachy
If you're anything like me, then by now you've turned into a peach. Nothing cures a craving like a bushel of fresh peaches from the Farmers Market. In the past 4 days I've eaten fresh peaches, sauvignon blanc peach sangria, peach cobbler, peach infused iced tea, peach milk shakes, peach crisp, and peach bellini cocktails. And I've still got a quarter of a bushel left to go. Dinner tonight? You guessed it: peaches.
All this is to say that while I seem absent, the Girl Healthy kitchen is rocking and rolling. Yesterday my friend Sheri came over to practice some food photography and she got some awesome shots. Stay tuned for peach recipes accompanied by lovely peach images in the coming days.
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Julia Child: My Life in France
I am not a voracious reader. Maybe two to three books a year. When I do read, I love nonfiction, reference, how-to, and the like. Enter Julia Child. I've been curious about her since the time I first saw her cooking shows on TV as a child. Who was this woman with the funny voice and enormous height? I'm not sure what made me pick up her book at the store the other day, but with a title like My Life in France, I could sense it would be a good read. Good is an understatement. I'm devouring this book like one of Julia's own culinary creations. I'm discovering Julia and I have much in common. When I read what she loved most in life I couldn't agree more: "my husband...la belle France; and the many pleasures of cooking and eating." Clearly we're cut from the same cloth.
I'll not reveal any of her story. It's too delicious to spoil here, so go pick up the book and read it for yourself. If you're a foodie, a lover of France, a cook, or just curious, you won't be disappointed.
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Summer Tomato Basil Bruschetta
This is what summer tastes like: juicy homegrown tomato fresh from the back yard topped with mozzarella, toasted on freshly baked rosemary bread, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with basil leaves also fresh from the garden. Summertime is good to me!
Average 2.0 starsFarming: The New Generation
An interesting article in USA Today....
To a new farmer, that's crucial information. The farm, started five years ago, is young. But so is the 33-year-old Gabiou at a time when the average age of the American farmer is 57, according to the Department of Agriculture. The 2007 agriculture census found that more than one-quarter of all farmers are 65 or older.
Wobbly Cart is also tiny, just 6 acres. Nationwide, the average farm is 449 acres.
But Gabiou and business partner Asha McElfresh, 32, differ from typical farmers in another way. Wobbly Cart, say agriculture specialists, is part of a movement in which young people — most of whom come from cities and suburbs — are taking up what may be the world's oldest profession: organic farming
"I'm seeing an enthusiastic group of young people all across the country who want to get into farming," says Fred Kirschenmann, a longtime farmer and fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University in Ames.
Read the full article here.
Average 1.0 starsRosemary Chicken Salad
Nothing says summer like picnics and potlucks. Here's a lightened up version of chicken salad to take to your next summer gathering. I used chicken breast meat from a rotisserie chicken, but you can save time by getting chicken already shredded at your local grocery store's salad bar.
Ingredients
• 3 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup fat free sour cream
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients, stirring well. Serve on sandwiches or crackers, or just gobble it up with a spoon.
Estimated calorie content: 170 calories per half cup.
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Ten Things I Love About Summer
In no particular order...
Eating watermelon when the juice makes your face and hands so sticky.
Candlelit night time porch sitting watching fireflies with a glass of chardonnay.
Eating a tomato fresh off the vine.
Hanging the clothes out to dry.
Sundresses and flip flops.
Being glued to the tv for Tour de France.
Riding my bike extra hard after watching the Tour.
Rocking a bikini at the pool after riding my bike so hard.
Outdoor concerts.
Bustling farmers markets.
What are your ten things you love about summer?
photo: Jen and I slicing watermelon at the Hot Chicken Festival. Photo by Grey Street Girl.
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