OMG Good Goulash

OMG Good Goulash

It is January in Michigan and we all need some warming hearty food to keep us through the midst of winter. This is just what the snowmen ordered!

Sauté 2 small or 1 large yellow onion in canola oil over medium-low heat
Add one pound of fresh ground beef (Or moose or buffalo or turkey). Brown and drain off fat
Add one can stewed tomatoes
Add 2 tsp. “Better than Bullion” brand beef broth in 2 cups hot tap water.
Add some chopped cauliflower (I put in a whole head)
Add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and anise seeds

Simmer for 20-30 minutes

Add whole grain macaroni or rotini pasta, which states to cook it for 10 minutes, but you should cook it for 20 minutes. Put 1 or 2 tablespoons of unbleached white flour in a small container with about a ½ cup of cold water, seal with a tight lid and shake it really good until there are no lumps. SLOWLY add this flour water a splash at a time to the goulash until it reaches the right thickness. The amount of thickness is completely up to you, as this is a very personal decision.

Enjoy!

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