Turmeric Tea

It is cold outside. It is well below zero with winds a blowin’.  Wanted something warm and healthy to drink.  Been hearing about the health benefits of turmeric.  Decided to try Turmeric Tea.  I found this recipe along with health benefits of turmeric on Dr. Axe’s website.  You can check it out there.  Surprising it had a smooth yumminess to it. Not many ingredients….coconut milk, water, ghee, honey and turmeric.  Since I was the only one drinking, I cut everything in half.

If you are looking for something different to drink because it is cold where you are, try it.  But one caution….turmeric can and will stain so be careful what it touches.

Have you tried any warm drinks lately?

Around Here…New Year’s Eve

Around here decorations for Christmas are still up.  We don’t take down the decorations until Epiphany which is January 4 this year.  In the lower right corner is a snowman rug my Mom bought for me for almost nothing on the day after Christmas sales we hit. We left at 6:30 and didn’t get back till 12:30.  We just had fun looking and getting our steps in for the day.  Too cold to walk outside lately.

Around here the sun doesn’t come up until around 8:30, but days are starting to get a little longer.  I usually leave my blinds down until the sun is up with the exception of this southeast window, so I can see the morning brighten.  The colors are lovely this morning.

Around here it is really cold. When I got up it was -1 actual temperature but felt like -18.  It is supposed to warm up to about 20 above today which will be a nice change from the past two days of sub-zero highs.

Around here we are out of our routine.  JV is doing some school this week plus morning basketball practices.  He will be playing more games starting this Friday.  We have watched a few movies as a family, relaxing in the evenings.

Around here we are enjoying have Z home for 3.5 weeks from college.  It is nice to have him around. He is already purchasing his textbooks for next semester.

Around here Big M is gearing up for a crazy busy month at work.  Year end always brings auditors, year-end closing of the books,and board meetings.

Around here I am listing items when I have a chance.  Still have plenty of inventory.  My goal is always the same…make a big dent in it, so I can hit up auction sales in late winter and garage sales in spring.  Inventory always seems to stay at about the same levels.  The mug above is one I listed on Ebay. I still don’t sell many things on Ebay, but they are having free listings right now, so listing some of my non-vintage items there.

Around here I am working on cleaning up my listing on Etsy and even listing some spring items.  It is hard since the Christmas decorations are still up, but Easter will be here before you know it.  Listed the crocheted eggs my Mom made.

Around here I am studying my classes for IIN.  Practicing with other students to do health histories.  Hopefully will be ready to try a couple of health histories with friends and family soon.  I am loving what I am learning and am excited about my decision to become a health coach.

Around here we are still working on eating healthier.  It was struggle over the holidays, but we are getting back on track. Brisket, green beans and mashed cauliflower for dinner last evening.

Around here we are so grateful for 2014.  It was a year of change for our family.  Overall good change even as it was hard to let Z go off to college. It has been so good to see him grow and thrive.  Love that I get to spend more one-on-one time with JV.  He is loving having his freedom driving.  I get nervous with the weather…causes slippery roads, but so far he has done a great job.

Around here we are looking forward to 2015.  No goals or resolutions for me this year.  Just hoping for a good year of family time and building relationships.

Happy New Year.  May 2015 be a blessed year for you.

Charity Auction Quilts

Last evening Catholic Charities of North Dakota held a Baskets and Bows Auction and Silent Auction to raise money for their many programs they provide for the public.There adoption, pregnancy and counseling services are phenomenal. We support this charity when we can, and our calendars were clear.

I knew they had several quilts for auction.  I wasn’t able to win the Up North Quilt that had a woodsy feel, but I was lucky enough to win 3 quilted items in the silent auction..  The beautiful pinwheel quilt above is gorgeous.  It is in shades of navy blue and gold and is about 63″ by 80″. I think it will be a favorite of mine for a long time to come.

This Winter Runner is about 38″ x 12″ so it can be used on the table or a side table.  Love that it is double-sided so I can use it on whichever side strikes my mood. Probably will be on the snowman side more since I decorate with many snowman in my house.  Why?  Not sure since I really don’t like snow and cold.

Finally I came home with this Asian inspired Changing Season Quilt.  It is more of a wall hanging.  I plan to hang it on the wall somewhere this spring if I can find a place.  Love, love, love, the colors.

If you ever have a chance to go to a charity fund-raiser, check out the handmade quilts.  You may be able to get some well-made quilts at a great price while helping a worthwhile charity.  Just don’t bid against me.

 

I Do Not Drink Coke

Today I was listing some glasses that were in a box I recently purchased at an auction.  This set of Coca Cola Stain Glass with Red Tulip are so pretty.  It got me thinking….when was the last time I drank a Coke?

I told you back in 2011 that I was a die-hard Coke fan.  I used to drink a regular Coca Cola or a Diet Coke with Lime almost every afternoon.

I dramatically reduced my Coke intact in late 2012 and early 2013 as I mentioned in this post.  It is amazing that I no longer eat any of those snacks in that photo.  I still would love to eat the Nature Valley Sweet and Sour Almond Nut Bar, but haven’t had one since late August.  Not sure how it would taste if I did eat one.  All of them are loaded with sugar. After a lot of research, I realize how bad sugar is for me.

I also listed these White Evergreen Pine Coca Cola glasses today.

Then I reduced my sugar intake in February of this year.  Do I still eat sugar?  Yes, but not nearly as often.  My sugar mostly comes from the fruit I eat, but I will sometimes eat it when I am outside my home.  I rarely eat it when I am home.  That is a good thing. I still love sweet things, but it is amazing how things are tasting sweeter and sweeter to me.

So when was the last time I had a Coke?  I have had only a handful of Coca Cola’s this year, with my last one that I shared with my Mom at an auction sale in Jun or July.  The funny thing is it didn’t taste right at all.  I would say that I have broke my Coca Cola habit.  I am not a fool, and therefore, I know that if I started to drink it again for a few days, the habit would probably come back quickly.

Part of my process in breaking the habit was making sure I was drinking plenty of water a day, drinking green tea, and finding a healthy substitute if I really need something besides water.  My current favorite is a tall glass of water with about a tablespoon of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, a tablespoon of lemon juice and a drop or two of Stevia. Something about the bite of the ACV cures my craving for a soda pop.

Now that I have broken my habit, I tell myself, “I don’t drink Coke.”  For some reason saying that instead of “I can’t drink a Coke” gives me the control and the power not to feel sorry for myself. It is my choice, and a choice that I know is so good for my health.

How about you have you given up a food or habit that is bad for you?  Do tell.

Pumpkin and Squash Recipes

I have to share a couple more recipes I found online that I tried and enjoyed.  It is fall, so I have pumpkins and squash.  I wanted new ways to use them and not only display them around my house.

The first is the Pumpkin Pie Protein Smoothie.  I found it on The Lemon Bowl.  I love pumpkin pie, just not the crust or all the sugar.  This seemed like a great substitute.  Check it out to see if you want to try it. I really enjoyed the change. I didn’t add any stevia…the apples and protein powder added enough sweetness, so try it before you sweeten.  I will also even lower the clove next time. I am not a huge fan of clove, so a little less might make it perfect.

The other recipe is Butternut Squash Soup.  I found this recipe on Dr. Frank Lipman website.  I was a little worried.  I have never tried a squash soup before, but it was delicious fresh as well as left over and reheated.  I could taste the onions which made it extra delicious, yet my son said all he could taste was the squash.

If you are looking for some new fall recipes I encourage you to try these recipes and see what you think.  Then tell me, did you like them?

Cabbage Onion Kale Recipe

I have been trying new vegetable recipes.  Picked up Kale, onions and cabbage from our CSA this weekend, so when I saw this recipe today from Amy Meyers MD website, I had to try it.

I wasn’t sure how nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon would taste on vegetables other than pumpkin or squash…it really worked well.  The kale wasn’t bitter at all, and the cabbage and onions almost had a sweet taste.

So if you are looking for a recipe for kale and cabbage go check it out.  Let me know if you try it, and if you like it or not.

How To Freeze Broccoli

I mentioned before that this year was joined a local CSA, It is called Riverbound Farms. We have enjoyed the yummy, fresh vegetables we can choose each week.  Because we also have a large garden, sometimes I choose several of one item, so I can store it away for later use.  This time it was broccoli.  Look at those heads.  We plant broccoli, but ours never are even close to this size.  Neither are the ones we have purchased in the past in the grocery store.  These are only 3 of the 5 heads I froze.

1.  Wash the broccoli and cut it up.

2.  Soak your cut up broccoli in a brine of a gallon of water to 4 teaspoons of salt for 30 minutes.  I need to pause and let you know that I found these instructions online. When I saw this step I thought…my broccoli is so clean, I washed it well, I can skip this step.  Well, when I boiled the broccoli there were worms that came out.  So please don’t skip this step.  I had to spend more time cooling it and slowly picking each piece out of the water to make sure there were no worms.  I learned on my second batch.

 

3.  Boil water, when it comes to a hard boil, add the cut up broccoli.  Cover and boil for 3 minutes.  Don’t forget to set your timer.

4.  Then cool off broccoli in an ice bath to stop cooking. Another side note….I have been meaning to clean out my refrigerator’s ice machine.  I used all my ice for this process of three batches, so it was easy to clean.  Another “to do” off my list.

5.  Spin off excess water in salad spinner.  This was my idea.  Extra water can cause food to freezer burn quicker, so I used my salad spinner to get rid of that excess water.  In case you are wondering, I purchased this salad spinner early this spring and have used it so many times.  My greens stay a few days longer when I use it.  It is a Large Zyliss Salad Spinner. After not having one for so many years, I really do wonder how I got by without it.

5 Use a vacuum sealer if you have one.  I don’t, so I just used ziplock bags. I filled the amount I wanted and closed.  I left a small hole in the end.  Inserted a straw and sucked the remaining air out, pulling the straw out and sealing it to keep air out. Not sure if you can tell in the above photo but the one on the left is the one I sucked all the air out.  I think it will help it last longer.

6.  Step back enjoy the completed project and put into freezer.  Big M loves steamed frozen broccoli so it will be nice to have organic, not overly processed broccoli when we want it.

Have you ever tried freezing broccoli?  Any tips to share?

Italian Style Grilled Eggplant

Another week, another new vegetable to try.  Our CSA pickup included eggplant this week.  I have always wanted to try eggplant but just never did.  When the vegetable is sitting on your kitchen counter, you finally decide that you have to find a recipe for it.

We were having grilled hamburgers, so I made Italian style grilled eggplant.  I found the start of the recipe here.  I used coconut oil instead of olive oil.  I did not grill the tomatoes.

They weren’t bad.  Too me they didn’t have much of a taste. I enjoyed them, but not where I had to have more.  I have another eggplant, so I need to find another recipe to try. It was a success in that I am no longer afraid to eat eggplant.

Do you have a recipe for eggplant?

Sauteed Rainbow Chard

I tried Sauteed Rainbow Chard.  I didn’t want to just use it in a smoothie, so I found this recipe and tried it.

It was ok.  It was a little bitter.  I would eat it again, but don’t think I would want to eat it often.  I am wondering if any of my readers has a good way to eat rainbow chard.  Would love to have any recipe you like.

A Morning in the Kitchen

It’s July, so that means the garden is producing.  I spent the morning in the kitchen.  The first thing I did was made 2 batches of zucchini bread.  In the past I used my food processor to chop up the zucchini. It was time-consuming, and I usually ended up with small chunks.  It worked, but once in a while you would find a piece of zucchini in the bread.  I decided to grind it in my Vitamix.  Yes…smooth, creamy zucchini. Perfect for the bread.  It turned out delicious.

For those of you that know that I have reduced my sugar intake, the zucchini bread was my normal zucchini bread recipe with 1 3/4 cups sugar.  I will probably eat a small piece, but it is more for my boys.  They are 18 and 15.  They aren’t on the no sugar bandwagon, so I still make them their yummy treats.  They are making some changes in the diet, but not as much and Big M and I are doing.

I had heard about coconut butter, so I decide to make my own.  I used about 2 1/3 cups shredded coconut that was not defatted.  I ground it in my Vitamix.  The butter turned out yummy.

Since that was a success I put two cups of cashews in my Vitamix and made cashew butter.  Ok, this was even more of a success. Everyone loved it.

I then went back to coconut.  I had just purchased a container of coconut cream.  We are moving away from dairy.  We found a big chunk of coconut at the bottom.  So I decide to try my Vitamix.  Failure.  It ground it up but it made it a very weird texture almost curdled looking.  Won’t be doing that again.  I need to find out why the chunk was at the bottom and what to do about it.  Anyone else use coconut cream?

Our dill was looking beautiful, so I had pick dill and dried it for a little over 2 hours.  Normally I scrunch it up with my hands and spend time picking out the larger pieces.  It can be time-consuming.  Out came the Vitamix again. I ground it briefly, and it looked like a course powder…no large pieces of stem left. Quick and easy.  Now I have dill for the remainder of the year.

I was done around noon.  I was hungry.  Since I had my Vitamix out I decided to make a  green smoothie.  I had just picked up some rainbow chard from our CSA.  It looked yummy.  Never have eaten rainbow chard before.  I added a couple of leaves without the stocks into my smoothie.

 

It turned out delicious.  It was slightly more bitter than kale when I took the first couple of sips. However, I got used to it and enjoyed my healthy, green smoothie.

It was a productive morning in my kitchen. It is official. I am hooked on my Vitamix. It can do anything I seem to need in the kitchen, except the dishes.