Are you a mom and losing your hair?

Cod liver oil.  Monica's been telling me about this one for about 4 years now, and it has been in the back of my mind....or more like the back of my throat gagging me....FINALLY about a month ago Sara let me try some of hers.  I just took it straight from a spoon and had a little juice to wash it down, and I could handle it fine, though the taste of all the oils lingered for a while ( I think it was lemon flavored).  Then Monica showed me her trick...put a little milk in your mouth, then squirt the 1/4 teaspoon of the fermented cod liver oil in your mouth and swallow.  the fat in the milk helps take all that oil down.  Because mine is cinnamon flavored, I am left with the slight taste of a christmas cookie when I'm done.  THE MIRACLE:  after only 4 days I saw a significant difference in the amount of hair I was collecting in my hands while showering.  After only one week, I cut my hair loss by at least two-thirds.  Pretty amazing.  Sondra talked about this in her blog post a little while ago too. I also read that it's good for my nursing baby girl, and the boys take it every day too.  Marshal won't let me forget. Thanks, Monica, for yet again teaching me ways to better mine and my families health!

I use the "Cinnamon tingle" kind, not the 'antioxidant free' that's shown here, but this was the best picture I could get.  

Quinoa and Black Beans

So, When I had Brit at the hospital, they had this "southwestern side dish with blackbeans" that I ordered with  my meal once.  Turns out it was Quinoa and Blackbeans and it just hit the spot, so I ordered it as often as I could and have been craving it for a while now.  I finally got to the store and bought some Quinoa ( the smith's by us didn't sell it, which is wierd, because Quinoa is a pretty common item) anyway, we made this the other night, even SHELDON was licking the pot...the recipe says it makes enough for 10, but it was exactly enough for our family.  Luke and Marshal loved it too.  ALSO, just in case you didn't know, Quinoa is a perfect protien, SO it's really good for you.  ENJOY!

The Recipe:

1 tsp Olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed or peeled and chopped

3/4 cup uncooked Quinoa

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp. ground Cumin

1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper

sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste :)

1 cup frozen corn kernals

2(15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained ( we think one can is just right, if you really love the beans put in two)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro ( awesome, but still REALLY good without it)

Directions: 

heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.  Mix quinoa into the saucepan then cover with chicken stock.  Season with Cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. 

Stir corn into the saucepan and continue to simmer about 5 minutes.  Mix in the black beans and cilantro.  Use as a side or your meal

* I'll be adding Quinoa to my food storage :)



A few things I've come across...

After two babies and three miscarriages, heart arrythmias and chronic lower abdominal pain, I decided I'm not as healthy as I always thought I was, or at least used to be. In my quest to be a little healthier and prepare my body for another pregnancy, I have come to learn about a few things that have seemed to help in my various ailments. For overall health, Monica introduced me to Fermented Cod Liver Oil (sounds delicious, doesn't it?) mixed with High Vitamin Butter oil. When taken together, they help enhance the other's nutrients and absorbtion into the body. (Monica, you can go into more detail, as you can explain it better than I can.) Many nutritionists say that if they could only take one nutrient supplement, this would be it because of it's ride range of benefits, including immunity boosting, EPA/DHA's, high vitamin A and D content, Quinones, and Omegas 3, 6, 7, and9. Red Raspberry Leaves is an herb that is supposed to be great for all the female things from hormones to organs to birth and delivery. Kara says she thinks it had a lot to do with her super easy labor and delivery (Input, Kara?). Catalyn is a simple multivitamin, but that has a proprietary blend of nutrients taken from cow organs (yummy!) like adrenal glands, spleen, kidney and liver. I know that sounds very unappetizing, but if you look at the cultures around the world who eat organ meats (no parts of the animal goes to waste), they are the same cultures that have perfect teeth, robust women, and zero diseases like diabetes, cancer and heart disease. (Termites, anyone?) There is another supplement, also made by Standard Process that bumped up my energy level about tenfold using the bovine thyroid, which name escapes me right now (Monica?), but was also great. Between and after my miscarriages this last year, I started having what felt like ovulation pain, so I did a little research on the internet and found that it was probably due to a lack of vitamin K. Green Leafy's are high in vitamin K, especially things like Kale and spinach. So after making some delicious Tuscan soup http://www.tuscanrecipes.com/recipes/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana.html and doubling up on the kale, I also found chllorophyll and kelp to be particularly helpful as I figured they'd be loaded with vitamin K. Just being on those two supplements has made the pain go away significantly. Acidophilus are the probiotics, or good bacteria that are found in yogurt, minus all the sugar that would also be found there, and cancel out any good yogurt might do you. Acidophlius is good for any colon/stomach/bowel/digestion issues you might encounter. My girls eat it by the spoonful, especially the apple strawberry kind. Win Win! This can be found in the refrigerated section of the health food store. For much of my adult life, and especially when I was nursing, I left evidence of my presence everywhere I went by shedding hair like a fluffy dog in the summertime. Cleaning out the hair from my hairbrush and shower drain was a daily routine. Trace minerals have pretty much cured that problem. Now the only evidence of my presence are my creaky knees and ankles when I walk. I did a little research on chia seeds, and found only good things to say about them. They are supposed to be high in soluble fiber, omega 6's, and a host of other things. They are highly hydroliphic, which means they absorb water (up to 12 thier weight), which make them keep you hydrated longer, and they help regulate the glucose (sugar) in your blood (yeah for me!). The only bad news I could find on them, was things like, people with really low blood pressure (no one that I know) should be careful, because they help lower your blood pressure. Other than that, they seem to be pretty good for you. Chef Brad has good things to say about chia in his website, too. http://www.chefbrad.com/grain/details.php?grain=Chia In front of the bag of chia seed in the picture is the actual "gel" that you get when you let the seeds soak up water for a time. Because chia seed is pretty much tasteless, you can put it in whatever you want to eat it. I like to put it in my freshly squeezed orange juice and just drink it down. It does change the texture a bit, but pretty much all I can taste is the orange juice. All of these things can be found at health food stores.

So, I went to buy a few cake pans at the Bosch Kitchen Store in Orem, and they just happened to be having a class on grains and other healthy delights just as I walked in, so I sat down, and learned of a few great healthy tips. The guy giving the class was just a young guy, probably younger than me, but I sampled some of his treats, and they were great! I was introduced to things like Chia seed and sucanat and agave that will be great substitutes for the not-so-healthy things in my pantry. The recipes he used are all on his website, and I visit it regularly. Here is the link if anyone is interested: http://dc89vintage.blogspot.com