Wellness Letter 16th week

[suzanne sanders]

Mountain Mama Wellness Box:  The food items listed below are what the  Mountain Mama Wellness Box members received.  For those of you who do not have a farm to home share/CSA, what are the food items you  have been eating?  Are you supporting local organic farmers at the farmers markets and in your area?  Are you purchasing more organic food in your life?   How is your green, red, orange veggie intake?  Are you eating too many potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, celery and not enough green veggies?  What new recipes have you tried this week?  Have you eliminated fast food from your life?  How about supporting a restaurant that supports local farmers?  Have you eliminated GMO food from your life?   Have you eliminated movie junk food out of your life?

A Parent challenge, how about you challenge yourself to not buy hot dogs, mac and cheese, sugary cereal, monster drinks, soda, non-organic chips, let go of my eggo, colored yogurt and colored candy?

Do you  have your kids in sports, how about giving your family a health challenge, by making a pact not to eat at the snack shack, turn down the little Debbie's snacks with a Capri sun, cheese and cracker sets, peanut butter Nabisco cracker, cheddar cheese fish crackers etc.. and never set foot into  an Izzy's?     

Health Challenge to all the coaches, the dance teachers, the school teachers, the martial arts teachers, you are mentors, you are around kids and some of  you for quite a few hours,   If the kids, teens and tweens see you eating crap, junk food, colored drinks, monster drinks, chips, candy, Izzy's, McDonalds, etc, you are teaching them bad health habits.  You should think about this.

Parents challenge those coaches, dance teachers,  public school teachers, martial arts teachers, gymnastic teachers etc.. a doughnut party is not cool,  Krispy Kreme, double not cool.  Ask them to look for healthier alternatives.

Someone needs to step up and be the leader.  Just take ONE of my challenges and take off with it.  Once you have developed a healthy habit then move on to the next challenge.  Imagine if you start and people see it, just maybe they will start and so on.

We will never have change in the world if you and I do not implement change in our own lives.  Period.  

Mountain Mama Wellness Box Items: 

Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, collard greens, brassica stir fry, broccoli leafs (for wraps), nettle, kale, swiss chard, dandelion greens, onion, parsley, celery, green beans,lemon balm, tea mix of apple-mint, cleavers and lemon verbena, basil, zucchini and cucumbers. 

Adventure In Life

Life Is Either A Great Adventure Or Nothing

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” 

What is your story from yesterday, today and tomorrow?

What story, what adventures will you be able to tell your grand-kids?

What story will you be able to tell your children?

Have you played?

Have you added spice to your life?

 

Are you living or are you just existing? 

Has time been put off over and over and the day is over

Have days been lost?

What story can you tell from that?

Live Like You Are Dying...... 

Broccoli Leaves 

Potato and Dill Broccoli Leaf Wraps Original Recipe

http://www.thewoodenspoon.net.au/recipes/potato-and-dill-broccoli-l...

This is what I did: 

Two cups potatoes (or sweet potato), chopped

1 large leek or two small chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

2 cups (or more) collard greens chopped

1 organic sweet red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons dried dill ( I did not have fresh dill)

sea salt and pepper to taste

You could also add some organic meat to these wraps.

SAUCE:

1/2 cup organic pumpkin seeds

1 big bunch parsley, chopped 

1 Small red mild pepper, chopped

1 tsp. organic onion granules

2 tsp. yellow mustard seed

1/4 organic hemp seed oil

1/4 cup spring water

a dash of apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. honey

Sea salt  ( or celtic) and pepper to taste 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until almost smooth.

FILLING: 

Boil the potatoes until they are lightly cooked.  Strain

Saute chopped garlic and leeks.  (if you are going to add meat, start it with the leeks and garlic) 

Add dill 

Add chopped red bell pepper, cook for a minute

Add chopped collard greens cook for a minute

Add potatoes 

Turn stove off and add: 

Juice of half of a lemon

sea salt and pepper to taste. 

Large Broccoli Leaves 

Steam broccoli leaves 30 seconds to a minute.  Should have a nice dark green color.  

Lay  the large broccoli leaf out, add your filling and wrap like a burrito.  

Top with the sauce

Share and sit with family and friends. 

Wrapping It Up

Ready To Eat 

 Collard Slaw

High in nutrients, including phytochemicals and antioxidants  dark leafy greens are good source of calcium especially when combined with lemon juice.  

1 bunch of collard greens, ribs removed, leaves rolled and sliced into thin ribbons

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

1 unpeeled apple, shredded 

3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons live oil

1/2 tsp. sea salt 

Cut collard greens into ribbons and combine with shredded carrots and apple, set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, dijon mustard, olive oil and sea salt

Add collard greens mixture and toss to coat. 

Chill in frig for a few hours. 

Dandelion Leaf:

Dandelion leaf is good for the kidneys, high in B vitamins, restores and replenished energy, excellent source for calcium. High in vitamins and minerals including magnesium, iron and vitamins A and C.  

Here Are 10 Ways To Use Dandelion Leaf: 

http://www.thekitchn.com/10-ways-to-use-those-dandelions-recipes-fr...

7 HERB LONG-LIFE SOUP

A nourishing and restorative blend, soup.   It is an excellent broth to serve someone who is sick or recovering from illness.  Use fresh herbs whenever possible, if they are not available chopped dried roots will do.  

Pictured below is a broth I made.  I boiled a chicken carcass (last nights dinner) to make bone broth, I added Sunday's veggies scraps.  In this picture the scraps where leeks, collard green stems, broccoli leafs, garlic and one habanario pepper.

7-Herb Long-Life Soup:

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, sliced or chopped 

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 

3 quarts filtered water OR Your own homemade broth 

8 large shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dried), chopped

4 ounces  fresh burdock root thinly sliced or 2 ounces dried 

4 ounces fresh dandelion root  thinly sliced or 2 ounces dried

2 ounces lycium berries

1 ounce  fo-ti (ho shou wu), cut and sifted 

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root 

1 ounce ginseng root 

Organic miso paste 

In large pot, heat just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the onions and garlic and saute until tender and golden

Add water or your broth and bring to a boil

Add the mushrooms and herbs, turn down the heat, and simmer over low heat for several hours 

When the roots are tender, turn off the heat and strain out the herbs.  If the herbs are soft you do not need to strain them out.  It is up to you. 

Add other seasonings and chopped vegetables as desired 

Pour into soup boils and add miso paste to taste.  Start with a tiny amount first (1/4 tsp.)

Do not boil the miso, as it destroys its valuable enzyme's  

Pickled Nettles: 

Serve with toast, feta, and olives, pickled nettles are a tasty treat. 

Fresh tender nettle tops

Place them raw in a quart pickling jar  

Fill the jar to the top with apple cider vinegar, being sure that no nettles surface above the vinegar 

Add a few garlic cloves 

Add a whole cayenne pepper

Cap tightly, and let sit for 8 - 12 weeks. 

Enjoy