Flu vaccines

Here is a link to a website and a recent post about the dangers of the flu vaccine. As you read it please know that "M" is Merck, one of the two makers of flu vaccines sold in the USA.

http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/index.php/?p=476

Grain of salt time: Of course we can't substantiate who wrote this, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

If you want more information I have a 3 hour long video by Sherry Tenpenny, a Doctor and expert on what the Center for Disease Control says about the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of vaccines. Here is a link to her website for more information: http://www.nmaseminars.com/index.html

I still need to learn more, but from what I know now I think if I had small children today I wouldn't allow them to have most vaccines, being safer to obstain than to give a potentially dangerous vaccine for a disease that no one dies from.

A short discussion on GMO's

You may have heard about GMO's or "Genetically Modified Organisms". Please click on the below link to read a short article explaining the pro's and con's of these plants and animals that we eat.

http://www.naturalbalance.citymax.com/5216157.html

GMO corn is the reason you don't see very many Monarch butterfies any more. Monarch butterflies eat the pollen off of corn, and when GMO corn became widspread we lost about 80%-90% of our Monarch butterflies. That's just one species that was affected by one GMO crop.

Own Your Health

“Own your health”. This is the new catchphrase in the natural health industry lately. What does it mean? It means you can’t get healthy until you want to get healthy.

1. Decide to make changes in your life to become healthy.
2. Learn about different ways to attain your goal(s).
3. Learn what you must do to make those changes.
4. Substitute bad habits with good habits.
5. Practice saying “No, thank you”
6. Figure out what keeps you from wanting better health.

That last one is a key point. Once you figure out why you like being less-than-optimally-healthy, it helps to prevent you from slipping into those old bad habits. Also, there are many people who like being sick. It’s true.

You can use these same points when owning any addiction. Go through the list again while thinking about not smoking, or not eating too many sweets, or not drinking too much alcohol, or exercising more, or spending more time with friends/family, or not spending too much money.

Insert anything that you want to change, figure out how to do it, and then there will be nothing that can get in your way except your own lack of self control.

* People may not like being sick, but they like the attention.
* People may not like to smoke, but they like the nicotine buzz.
* People may not like being over weight, but they like the sugar rush and, in some way, like the bad feelings they get when their blood sugar is low.
* People may not like to be in debt, but they like the power they feel when charging their 1,047th knick knack on their credit card.
* People may want to spend more time with friends/family, but it’s easier to sit at home and watch TV, or maybe their egos want their friends to come to them.
* People may not want to have a screwdriver at breakfast, but it gets them emotionally through the first few hours of work.

Trust me; I know all of these things, and most of them personally.

Sassafras tea

If you have time this weekend why don't you take a walk in the woods near your house, bring along a ball of string or yarn, and tie a piece around 20 or so very little sassafras trees before they all lose their leaves. Then, over the winter, you can pull one up by the root every weekend or so, "skin" the root (I use my thumbnail) and chop it up small, and then simmer it in 2 or 3 cups of water for about 15-20 minutes.

It makes a tasty hot winter time tea, and it's known for its anti-microbial virtues. And I like the way it smells while it simmers.

* Tastes like mild root beer
* Good for the whole family
* Free!

Vacation for mental health

Head on over to my “Imaginary Maggie Knits!” blog for some entertainment on my current vacation.

My family often took vacations together, and not only are vacations good for family health, they're also necessary for mental health. My father always told me the same thing he told every employee he had: Go on vacations! You have to have something to look forward to, otherwise you become encompassed by your work and your life is, well, stale, to put it nicely. It doesn’t matter if you go 2000 miles away or 20 miles away. If you can’t afford a fancy vacation then borrow a tent from your neighbor or your cousin, grab the kids, and head off to the nearest state park for the weekend. Not only will you get to know your family better, you’ll certainly meet some neat people.

That being said, head on over to http://imaginarymaggieknits.blogspot.com/ and live vicariously through me until you can get on the road yourself.

Worth the investment in time

Below is a link to a very long but informational and sometimes entertaining article about the basic truths of nutrition. It really embodies everything I’ve learned about nutrition over the past 20 years and puts it in palatable form (pun intended).

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ei=5070&en=c68ce221c481f56b&ex=1171083600&pagewanted=all
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I cannot disagree or argue with any single point that is made here. It is very long, and you may want to read it in sections (I did), but it brings to light so many great points that I hope you find the time to finish it.

Love to you all,

Maggie

Be Decadent

Little things we can do to lower our calorie intake: Coffee, for instance.

Most of us drink coffee. Most of us drink the crappy coffee that is given to us at work, and we also have the same crappy coffee at home that our parents drank. Of course we put sugar and cream in it; it’s lousy coffee.

That being said, what do you think about drinking coffee without sugar or cream in it? Nasty, right? But wouldn’t that be a great way to reduce the calories we consume? I mean, how many calories a day do we drink? The answer is: drink good coffee and you don’t need to add anything to it to make it taste good. This accomplishes two things at once: you consume fewer calories and at the same time you feel like you are pampering yourself with an truly exceptional cup of java.

See how simple that is? Good whole-bean coffee isn’t THAT much more expensive than crappy coffee. I buy a French Vanilla flavored whole bean coffee and grind some (in a $10.00 coffee grinder that I got at Target) right before I start the pot of coffee every morning. The whole house smells like vanilla, and it seams decadent to drink it. Put the rest of the pot in a thermous and go!

Russian "Conquor the World" Soup

This is the healthiest soup I have ever eaten. Every time I make it I get the overwhelming desire to conquer the world! And this is the perfect fall harvest soup to gear you up for a long winter.

Ingredients:1-1/2 cups thin sliced potatoes
1 cup thin sliced beets
4 cups stock water (water that the beets and potatoes are cooked in)
1-1/2 cups chopped onion
2 Tblsp. butter
Large Dash: caraway seeds, salt, pepper
1 can tomato puree
1 large carrot (or some mini carrots)
3 cups chopped cabbage
2 or 3 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tblsp. Honey

Cook potatoes, beats and 4 cups water in saucepan until tender, about 20 minutes. Save the water. Sauté onions in butter in a large kettle. Add spices, carrots and cabbage. Then drain the stock water from the beets and potatoes into the large kettle, and cook covered until it is all tender, about 20 minutes. Add everything together and cook another 30 minutes.

Garnish with sour cream, dill weed, and/or chopped tomatoes.

I don’t know why this is so much better when you cook it in two pots, but it is. I’ve tried it in one pot a couple of times, and it’s just not the same, probably because the onions don’t get properly sautéed. Enjoy!

Get Cooking!

More and more people are asking me how they can eat better, and my stock answer is "learn how to cook!" They don't generally like that answer, or else they give me one of those "deer in the headlights" looks.

OK, then cook better. For instance, if you're having hamburgers and baked beans, sauté an entire onion in the bottom of the pot that you're going to cook the beans in, drain most of the sauce out of the can of beans, put the beans in the pot right on top of the sautéed onions, and add a few tablespoons of Molasses to that. Yummy and delicious! I make this recipe every year for my in-laws (average party is 40 people) and they always ask what my secret is. You can also add a can of black beans, or some other type of beans that you like, just to mix it up a little bit.

When you're making tacos add a nice fresh onion, a clove of fresh garlic, black beans, salsa, diced tomatoes or avocado, and black olives. Any of these things make your tacos better for you, and when it's right in with the meat it's not as messy to eat.

Instead of store bought soup try this: Start with 2 cups of chicken broth made with "Better Than Broth" brand chicken broth. This stuff really is great, and if you compare the label with any other brand you'll be amazed! Yes, it's about twice the price, about $6 instead of about $3, as I explained to a lady in the grocery store who was wearing a $5000 wedding ring and who wouldn't spend an extra $3 on her family's health (Vary frustrating!). But it is so much better for you.

To this simmering broth add one cut up onion, two pealed and cut up potatoes, 1/3 of a small head of cabbage, cut into strips, and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, with sea salt to taste. Serve with fresh sourdough bread.

You don't need to be fancy. A perfectly healthy dinner is a lean steak on the grill (not charred) with steamed broccoli or asparagus. Simple! Don't get all wrapped up in the "square meal". By the end of the day you'll usually have all the right food groups covered.

Get cooking!

"The Best" One Pot Speghetti in 10 Minutes

This recipe is proof that a delicious, nutritious meal does not have to take a lot of time or preparation. Even children like it, especially because you can "hide" the vegetables in the sauce.

Shopping list:
Bella Terra ™ brand organic, whole wheat, Capellini Angel Hair Pasta
Muir Glen® brand Organic pasta sauce – any flavor
Black Olives
Artichoke Hearts
Pine nuts
Optional: sautéed skinless boneless chicken breast or thigh, cooked in canola oil and tarragon in a skillet for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat.

Bring water to boil and cook pasta 4 minutes. Drain. Put pasta back into the same pot and add the rest of the ingredients. 1 jar of pasta feeds at least 4 people. Heat it all up in that one pot for easy clean-up.

If you cooked chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces and add to the top of the pasta while you're serving it. Top it with fresh mozzarella or parmesan cheese.

Other options: these can either be boiled along with the spaghetti or sautéed in a separate pan:
Fresh asparagus
Cubed eggplant
Whole grape tomatoes

The pine nuts are full of protein, so especially make sure you use them if you don't cook the chicken.

Enjoy!

God talks to St. Francis

(I didn't write this, but I couldn't resist not sharing it with you all.)

God Talks to St. Francis:
GOD: Frank , you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world isgoing on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS : Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS : Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it--sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS : Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS : No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS : Yes, Sir

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for ustonight?

ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about....

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Water and Water

Ok now. You do realize that the below article about water and beer and wine is no longer true today. But it was very true before 1950 or so. You KNOW that pure clean water is the best thing for your body.

Before that time we weren’t able to test water for E. Coli, bacteria, and even worms. Even today a hospital in Minnesota tested most of their patients for worms and found that 6% of them did have worms.

I’m not kidding about beer and wine though either: in moderation they are much better for you to drink than the chemical wasteland of soda pop. More on that later.

Think about it; we as humans have been drinking beer and wine for thousands of years. They can’t be that bad for us!

What to drink?

BEER & WINE vs. WATER

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. (Actually I kinda doubt that Mr. Franklin knew what bacteria was 200 years ago.)

In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop.

However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health

Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.

(Hee hee)

Bahamian Peas and Rice

This is a favorite recipe from Green Turtle Cay, Bahamas. All of the locals use it as a staple in their daily diet. I’ve added more tomatoes, substituted sea salt for regular salt, and used brown rice instead of white rice, which gives it a nutty flavor.

*************************************

Sauté one large chopped onion.
One can stewed tomatoes, (optional with green peppers & onions in it).
Add one can rinsed black eyed peas, a.k.a pigeon peas.
Simmer for ½ hour.20-30 minutes before serving add 1 cup brown rice, time depending on the directions of the rice.
Season with Thyme, sea salt, and pepper.
Serve with chicken or fish.

Enjoy!

Leek Potato Soup (Very French!)

My husband prefers this soup hot, but it was designed to be a refreshing meal on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:1 lb Leeks – washed and sliced
½ cup diced onion (one medium sized onion)
¼ cup butter (not margarine or any fake butter!)
1 lb. potatoes, pared and cubed
Dash: Sea salt and white pepper
3 cups chicken broth (Better than Bouillon brand)

Melt butter, sauté leeks and onion for 5 minutes. Do not brown them! Add potatoes, salt, pepper, chicken broth. Simmer 20 minutes until potatoes are very soft. Remove from heat and put into blender 2 cups at a time. Blend on low until smooth. BE CAREFUL! IT’S HOT!

Refrigerate until cool (or eat it hot like my dear husband). Before serving add a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a tablespoon of half and half, and sprinkle chives onto the center of the bowl for a garnish. Make a double batch for leftovers; it will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

I also use this recipe without the cream in it for starting and ending my liquid fasts. It's also great for upset stomachs and when you're sick with something like stomach flu.

Keep this one handy, and enjoy!

Cheap, easy, and great for you Cole Slaw

Take a small head of green cabbage, chop as much of it as you want, remembering that this keeps in the refrigerator for quite a few days. Put in a little bit of Vandalia Onion dressing, remembering that is it MUCH easier to add a little more dressing than it is to take it out (I'm just saying). From here it’s up to you to add any number of the following:
Sesame seeds
Shredded carrots
Raisins
Any chopped nuts
Pine nuts
Chopped broccoli
Poppy seeds

I never liked the dressing that was made for cole slaw, but THIS is yummy!

What's it feel like to be a LadyHawk?

We went “up north” with family and friends last month to a lodge that has a large kitchen, nine bedrooms, a dinning room, living room with lots of tables for playing cards and doing puzzles, a deck that overlooks a small river filled with brown trout, all within the middle of hundreds of acres of forest.

My granddaughter, who is 9 years old, and her cousin were running around the cabin playing tag, chasing bugs, finding mushrooms, and generally being kids in the country. Some of us “grown ups” were lounging on the deck telling funny stories from years ago and generally solving all of the problems of the world.

I noticed the two kids whispering to each other playing a little game of “you go”, “no, you go”, “no, you go”, “no, let’s draw straws”. Well my great-nephew drew the short straw, or rather piece of hay, and came trotting up to me. “Can I ask you a question?” he said to me.
“Of course you can” I replied.
“What is it like being a LadyHawk?”
*** *** ***
Well, you can imagine this took be aback for a moment. I honestly didn’t know what to say, so to stall for a minute I started by saying “Well, first of all there aren’t very many of us.” This because he called me “A LadyHawk”, like there were more than one of us. And there just might be more LadyHawks around; who knows?
I finally answered “It feels great being a LadyHawk because I make other people feel better. That’s the best part of all.”
He seemed fully satisfied with that answer and trotted back to my granddaughter to discuss it with her.

I’m still trying to figure it out.

Easy Squash Rancheros

Slice or chunk any kind of soft squash, a yellow summer squash or a zucchini squash for instance, and sauté it in a frying pan in a little bit of olive oil for 3-4 minutes depending on how large the pieces are. Add salt, a little bit of pepper (I use white pepper), and dump about a half cup of salsa on top of it. Now the amount of salsa completely depends on how much squash is in the pan, but the finished dish should look like squash with a little bit of color and small chunks of vegetables. Use the salsa as a seasoning, not a sauce.Continue cooking until the pieces are no longer crisp, which might take as long at 10 minutes. I like to add cilantro and a little salt to the mixture as well. This recipe is very forgiving if you want to experiment with spices.

Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to LadyHawk Nutrition's blog on food, health news, and recipes. We'll be posting here regularly with "pearls" of information to help you on your path to wellness.

Hang on! It looks like it's going to be a great ride!

Maggie