Every Day Shortcuts to Eat to Your Health

 

Cooking a healthy meal can be a full-time job for any parent. Between planning and organizing, it takes a lot of effort to stay on track. That’s why I have a few hacks on hand to quickly improve the nutrient density in meals.

Quinoa:

Quinoa is a great cook ahead that can be sprinkled onto a salad for an exotic addition of protein. It absorbs flavors so you can pair it with any dressing and it will taste great. Quinoa is also a great way to cut back on rice. For recipes that call for rice, try replacing ½ of the amount with quinoa. You will hardly see the difference yet you will improve your nutrition by adding fiber and lowering your glycemic index. Quinoa is a good source of minerals such as folate, iron, zinc, and magnesium.  It also contains all the essential amino acids, giving it a high score for a good source of protein.  Beware though, it is still a grain and too much of it can be “too much of a good thing”.

Frozen Spinach:

Rich in iron and really flavorful, this makes a great addition to the kids’ mac and cheese. They simply LOVE it.  Recently I have started experimenting with combining it with cauliflower rice. I sauteed a chopped onion or leek for about 5 minutes, then add the riced cauliflower (2 bags frozen) for another 5 minutes, sprinkle some dill or use fresh if you have, add salt and pepper. After it caramelizes add a bag of frozen spinach and cook for about another 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt or some feta and you have a low carb, Greek spanakopita inspired delicious and quick alternative. Spinach is a quick add on to rice, quinoa rice or even sautéed as a side dish. Power up!

Mushrooms:

Mushrooms act as a major immunity booster that can help the body fight illness as well as several types of cancers. It is recommended that you have a little daily. But who can keep up? Try freezing your mushrooms for easy access to omelets, and sautéed meals. Sautée some with onion and keep in the fridge as a sandwich or salad topper.  Consider making mushroom burgers. They are easy, quick and very filling.

Chickpeas:

These are really misunderstood in my opinion because they are usually eaten out of a can. Try soaking a bag overnight and then giving them a quick boil until soft. No spices needed! After they are softened you can eat them plain -so sweet!- or add them to any salad. Keep in the fridge for an easy add on! You can also throw them in the blender with lemon juice and olive oil for a nice hummus.

Cut Fruit:

The best way to increase your fruit intake is to keep it easily accessible. Take a few minutes to cut fruit and keep it in the fridge. It will more likely be your next snack or meal. My favorites for this are watermelon and honeydew. Another great trick is to load up on berries. They have a very short shelf life so eating them will be a priority.

Chia Seeds:

This superfood can be added to any snack to boost fiber and omega 3’s along with antioxidants. Who doesn’t want that in a bowl of cereal, instantly? Consider adding to your yogurt, toasted bread,  and even ice cream.

Broccoli:

This is my go to side dish when I need that extra something to add to a meal. If I am baking dinner it can go straight into a baking dish with some EVOO. If not I can easily steam it and cleanup is a cinch. A major player in the cruciferous family, it is rich in everything, good for you and delicious.  Always keep on hand.

Setting up for success with easy cheats makes up a big component of healthy eating. Now that the kids are helping themselves to snacks it’s even more important to have these easily accessible and at the front of the fridge.

CoachTheresaWV  is a MOM and Health Coach whose goal is to help people harness their inner voice through self-care. She believes in lifestyle habits that include fitness and clean living and is sustainable for long-term health results. Follow her at https://www.facebook.com/trainandtransformyourlife/ or email her at CoachTheresaWV@gmail.com for a free consultation.

My Homework – Lemongrass Tea

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As a Christmas gift to myself, I enrolled in the Herbal Academy of New England, an online educational program for those who want to become herbalists and/or anyone who is interested in herbs.  I am thrilled and excited to add an academic understanding of herbs and how they interact in their various forms.

I’ve discovered that ideas of how and where you can use herbs are limitless!  We can create teas, tinctures, poultices, essential oils, soaps, creams, syrups, and salves.  We can also use them in our cooking, baking, jams, jellies, vinegars, oils, honey, salts, mix them with other herbs or simply munch on a sprig right off the plant.

Until now, my education was limited to reading books, the Internet and talking to my Naturopathic doctor.  Once 20 years ago, I also took a guided hike on identifying wild edible plants.  All I can remember from that day was the ability to identify Yarrow (a popular flower used for medicinal purposes) and tasting some uninspiring grassy, sometimes bitter tasting weeds.  Ick!

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The first lesson in my program involves making a medicinal tea from whatever I have on hand. Since I grow a lot of herbs on my small farm, I have many options.  Needing an herb to test, I grabbed one of the many large paper grocery bags on my counter filled with herbs, opened it and discovered that I picked lemongrass.  I had never used this herb before so I decided to try it.

 

Back-story on my poor little Lemongrass plant – It’s a Miracle!

Lemongrass is a new herb on my farm.  Last winter, I found a catalog company that had a sale on plants and, at the time; it seemed to be a good deal. Who can resist a sale!  The plant arrived on life support (obviously the reason for the sale) and it was clear that the plant didn’t have much, if any, time left.  However, deep in the core of this dried up grassy blob; I found a little green stem. Since maybe there was some hope, I figured I’d plant it vs. tossing it into the compost pile.  I placed it into a corner of a raised bed already pretty full of mints, sage and oregano, blessed the little plant and left it at that.

During the summer, it got watered (when I remembered…) and to my surprise that scraggly dried up little grassy thing started to grow! By the end of summer, it had shot up over 36 inches and was taking over the corner of its raised bed.

Before the first freeze, I cut the plant back down to its original size (a few inches tall) bound the cut grass into bunches and stuffed it into a grocery store paper bag to dry.  I tossed the bag on my kitchen counter where it’s been since fall.  I honestly had no clue as to what I was going to do with the grass. A couple of thoughts surfaced

(possibly soap or a seasoned salt) but no decision.

My Research on Lemongrass

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(Disclaimer:  I am not a health expert and have no medical training.  The purpose of this article is not to diagnose and/or treat medical issues.  This is for informational purposes only.  If you have questions regarding your health, please consult with a medical physician)

According to Healthers.org lemongrass has some great medicinal properties. Here is an excerpt from their website:

  • Powerful pain relieving properties. It helps to alleviate muscle spasms by relaxing the muscles thereby leading to the reduction of pain-related symptoms.

 

  • Is useful for all types of pain including abdominal pain, headaches, joint pains, muscle pains, digestive tract spasms, muscle cramps, stomach ache and others.

 

  • Can be linked to increasing the body’s ability to repair damaged connective tissue such as cartilage, ligaments and tendons and is thus recommended for these types of injuries.

 

  • Improvements in blood circulation.

 

  • Its antifungal and antibacterial, lemongrass inhibits bacteria and yeast growth.

 

  • It is useful for gastrointestinal infections and may also be applied externally to wounds as it fights germs.

 

  • As an antioxidant, lemongrass contributes to liver and pancreatic health by helping the body to more quickly remove toxins.

 

  • It has also being linked to lowered or normalized cholesterol levels.

 

  • It also treats digestive issues including gastro-enteritis and may be helpful in relieving constipation.

 

  • Some sources suggest that lemongrass has antidepressant properties and is thus beneficial for nervous and stress-related conditions.

 

  • It is said to be helpful in alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms. It helps to strengthen the nervous system and may thus be useful for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

 

  • The presence of Vitamin A in lemongrass makes it helpful for skin issues such as acne pimples.

 

  • It helps to brighten the skin and eyes and clear up oily skin, thus improving acne.

 

  • Its antibacterial property is also valuable for skin infections. Lemongrass may improve poor body odor by controlling excessive sweating.

 

  • One research study conducted at Ben Gurion University in Israel found that the citral found in lemongrass has possible benefits in inhibiting cancer. It revealed that this compound may contribute to the death of cancer cells with no noted negative effect on normal cells.

In addition, I wasn’t surprised to learn that lemongrass is a great culinary herb and is very popular in Asian cuisine.  According to the book “20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature’s Healing Herbs” by Victoria Zak, lemongrass, as a tea, is one of the tried and true herbs for added flavor and synergy.  It’s often used in tea blends to enhance and balance flavors of multiple tea herbs.

Inspiration Hits!

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In herbal basic training, one must know how to make medicinal teas.  I learned that medicinal teas have a higher tea to water ratio.  In addition, commercial teas in tea bags have little to no medicinal value because there isn’t enough of the herb in the tea bag to make a difference.  If you are looking for a health benefit from commercial tea, buy loose leaf.

I discovered that lemongrass tea has a wonderful strong lemony taste with a back note of grass and I was surprised how much I liked it.   As I sipped my cup of tea, I began to think about the possibility of using this tea in a soap recipe along with the dried lemongrass. I already make herbal soaps using dried herbs and essential oils and wondered what would happen if I added tea to my recipe?

Not wanting to waste time, I dried the steeped lemongrass from my pot of tea, measured out enough tea for my soap recipe and began measuring / mixing the rest of my ingredients.  My house smelled like the lemon groves I used to visit not far from my childhood home in Southern California.  It was invigorating!

January 13, 2015 008  The soap is now curing and, as it will be a few weeks before I can test it, I’ll post an update in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemongrass Tea Shrimp Scampi

 January 13, 2015 023 Here I go again…. While cooking dinner that night, I was hit with another inspiration!  My recipe for Shrimp Scampi called for lemon juice so I thought I would add the remaining lemongrass tea to my pan instead of lemon juice.  It worked great and my husband, who is my official taste tester, gave me thumbs up!!

 

 

 

 

 

(Replaced the lemon juice with the tea)

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The success of my experiments will result in my ordering more plants this spring so I can use lemongrass in even more products.