Pancetta Pasta

Not sure if this would fall under the category of particularly healthy, but I created this recipe last night and it was delish!

Boil half a package of Angel Hair Pasta
or pasta of choice

Heat large frying pan with 1 Tbs Olive Oil and add
4 oz. finely chopped Pancetta
After 3-4 minutes of browing, add 1/4-1/3 C chopped
Walnuts
Add a little more oil if necessary.
After 1-2 minutes turn pan to medium low and add 2 cloves minced
garlic
Lastly, add in 1/4 C chopped Peppadew peppers (I got them at the fresh olive
bar in the grocery store)

Simmer a few minutes and then add in cooked pasta.  Add a little of the pasta water
and simmer until broth is mostly done
Stir in 1/2 to 3/4 C fresh grated parm/romano mixture and serve.
Yummo!

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Crockpot Oatmeal

I'm not a big fan of oatmeal, except oatmeal cookies... and oats in granola.  For some reason, I like my oats crispy.  I saw a couple of recipes for crock pot oatmeal though and thought I 'd give it a try since I'm trying to eat healthier.  On my junk food run to Target last night, they had one box of Steel Cut Oats left and I grabbed it. You have to use steel cut oats, or the mush will just disintegrate. They look like little brown pellets but of course swell up nicely when cooking and have a great texture.

So here's how to make the oatmeal:

Get your crock pot and in no particular order, put in:

1 C Steel Cut Oats
3 C water
1 C half and half
2 Tbs Butter cut up
1 tsp Salt
1Tbsp Cinnamon
2 Tbsps or more of Brown Sugar
Fruit of your choice:
I put in 3/4 of a large peeled, chopped apple
Dried cranberries would also be good
Nuts, if you like

That's it. Easy Peasy.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Wake up to yummy smelling and tasting oatmeal.
Don't laugh about the half and half.  It really gives it a richer taste and I feel eating all these oats will counteract any harmful effects of milk and sugar. :)

Let me know what you use in your crock pot oatmeal and we'll give it a try.!

Yeah, I haven't given up coffee either and probably won't.

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Tai Chi

Many years ago  when I was a young Grasshopper, I took Shaolin Kung Fu in Atlanta at the Atlanta Area Shaolin Center with Sifu Michael Reid (Now Master Reid).  I loved it.  Martial arts is such a great way to get in shape and relax. While there, I also took Tai Chi.  People look at folks going through the Tai Chi and think it's an old person's yoga or something.  However, it involves breathing techniques, focus and builds bone mass.
Part of my studies in Chinese Medicine has brought Tai Chi back to my attention.  I suffer from severe rheumatoid arthritis and various other things which has made me interested in alternative medicine in the first place.  I started watching my old tai chi video but it's just not the same as being with a teacher and getting constructive help along the way.
I've been driving past Parker Kung Fu center for a year now and never stopped in.  Chris (my son) and I went by after breakfast this morning.  WOW!  Sifu Wayne was amazing and got me out on the mat and put me through some tai chi right away. Then I got Chris to come inside and Sifu showed him some basic Chen Na and then we all did tai chi some more.   I signed Chris up for Kung Fu and I'm going to start Tai Chi in April.
I guess I've always been a Kung Fu geek. The boys and I love to watch Ip Man movies.  Kung Fu is just so healthy for your body and your spirit.  I'm glad my son wants to do this and I can't wait to get started on my road to health!

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Stressing

I've been studying for about a week now, and I'm so stressed.  I know I shouldn't be but I'm really overwhelmed at the amount of information I'm studying.  I could have just taken a western herbalist course and would of have been fine, but I wanted to learn Chinese and Ayurvedic as well so that I know how to treat myself and others better.

 I've been focusing on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and it's difficult to understand yet it makes sense as well.  I was always taught that Yin and Yang were just a silly new-agy symbol.  However, everything in Yin and Yang is about balance in your life and your internal organs.  If one organ is in trouble, it affects something else.  As I see it, it's not so much a religious belief as proven science that when one's body is out of balance it affects something else.

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Plant Healer Magazine

 I signed up for Plant Healer newsletter last month and downloaded the free issue.  It's such a beautiful, digital publication!  The artwork and variety of articles makes it a valuable resource for anyone interested in herbalism. Many of the worlds' best herbalists contribute to the magazine. There is so much work and information provided, that it takes me a few days to read and re-read everything.  If nothing else, click on the picture to go to the website and download your complimentary copy. 

Topics in the magazine range from folklore, wildcrafting, medicine making and more.
Let me know what you think!

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Class books arrived

I'm so excited. My official course arrived for my studies at East West School of Planetary Herbology or as we call it, Planet Herbs. This is just for the first 12 lessons. I wanted to make sure I was dedicated before paying for 1-36 at once. As it is, some people take a year or more to finish 1-12. I'm hoping it won't take me that long but want to make sure I grasp all of the information. Right now, it's like a lightbulb has switched on in my head.

 I chose East West because it integrates all Western, Chinese and Ayurvedic studies. Even in early Western medicine, we were closer to following ancient Greek and Chinese medicine, believing that parts of the body and symptoms told us something of deeper underlying issues. In the 1930's, pharmaceutical companies turned medicine into a business of money and developing petrochemicals got us away from using herbs and food as medicine. There was no money to be made if everyone knew they could pick dandelions out of their yard and have more nutrients and vitamins than something out of a bottle. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for medical doctors, but so often they treat symptoms and hand out pills instead of getting to the issue of why a person is sick to begin with. Okay, enough for now. I'm going with my scrapbook girlfriends on an outing after while and get my craft fix. More studies later!

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DoTerra Instead

So I was going to sell Young Living Essential Oils etc but decided not to and went with DoTerra instead. I got online with YL and did not like their website (which you have to pay extra for) and did not like their back office at all. A friend of mine here in Parker, Dr Heidi Heath, Chiropractor told me about DoTerra so I checked it out and liked it much better. Better prices, better marketing etc. I'm glad to be offering their products here and will share updates, recipes etc using their oils. I'm not an advocate of ingesting orally, even though DoTerra says it's okay. Maybe if diluted A LOT. Also, I don't subscribe to putting essential oils directly on the skin without a carrier oil. DoTerra does offer a fractionated coconut oil which I advise using to apply oils to skin. DIY: Dish Soap | dōTERRA Blog

http://doterrablog.com/diy-dish-soap

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New Books and Herbs

I'm so excited.  I went to the PO today and had a couple of boxes.  One box was from Amazon containing Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, and the other was Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies.
Then, I also had a box from Bulkherbstore.com with my comfrey and plantain to make salves.




I got A LOT of comfrey.  I'm teaching a class in April (the same one where we'll be making Fire Cider).  I've got to make the Comfrey Oil for a month in advance so the salve is nice and potent.

And of course, I couldn't resist the cute mortar and pestle.  The mortar has grooves inside which supposedly help with grinding the herbs.

So back to the books:  I LOVE Rosemary Gladstar.  I have her other book, Medicinal Herbs, on my Nook but I'm glad I got this in paperback.  I think reference books, recipe books and ones with lots of pictures are so much easier to use when non-digital.  There are so many things in this that I can't wait to try.  
The Plants of the Rockies book is of course, full of pictures and great information.  Being new to the West, many of these are new to me.  Many people out here actually hate Aspen trees because they grow like weeds and in groves and have these crazy root systems.  However, I think they're beautiful.  Aspen bark can be made into a tea and treat the following: urinary tract infection, fevers, diarrhea and worms.  The young leaves and catkins can be eaten and are rich in Vitamin C.
Amazing!! I'm looking forward to Spring when I can go foraging for plants.
 

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