Macro Flowers ~ October 14, 2011

I spotted these Black Eyed Susans in a garden on my last visit to the TCM doctor for an acupuncture treatment.

I enjoyed giving this flower some special effects.

There are always beautiful flowers to be seen at two sites by clicking on the badges below.

Seton Lake Skies

Two of my family members took a drive to Seton Lake in early September.

The area is a wonderful wilderness area and an outdoor enthusiast's paradise.

The scenery was spectacular. In these photos the road seems to lead to the sky. 

Seton Lake is located where you see the red X on the map above,  near Lillooet
(indicated by the red dot).
Click here to learn more about tourism in the region.

Spinach - Celery - Apple - Baby Bok Choy

My nutrient loaded juice for the day was a mixture of spinach, celery, baby bok choy and apple.

The ingredients were all purchased just yesterday at the produce store but I see that the leafy greens are nearing the end of their life span. Good thing I wanted lots of leafy greens in my healthy juice today.  I added a half apple for sweetness.

In the evening, I made a spinach soup with the balance of spinach.  I've posted before about the benefits of spinach. You can read more here.

Today's new ingredient is baby bok choy, an Asian green.

One cup of shredded raw bok choy is only about nine calories and has no saturated fats. It provides a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Bok choy also has a rich supply of Vitamin A and contains Vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.  Minerals in a serving of bok choy include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.  Along with dietary fiber and vitamins these compounds help to protect against breast, colon and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" levels in the blood.  Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Iron is required for the red blood cell formation.

Celery, is another new ingredient in my juice.  Celery leaves have a high content of vitamin A, and  the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with rich supplies of potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and lots of essential amino acids.

Nutrients in the fiber are released during juicing, aiding bowel movements. The natural organic sodium (salt) in celery is very safe for consumption and is essential for the body. Even individuals who are salt-sensitive can safely take the sodium in celery, unlike table salt (iodised sodium) which is harmful for those with high blood pressure. This is a perfect vegetable for me as salt makes me retain water. I use celery whenever I can, usually in my soups as a flavour enhancer.

After this power packed juice, I went to my pneumatic compression therapy and walked slowly home which is about 18 city blocks. To heed my TCM doctor's advice about going very slowly, I forced myself to stroll and I stopped along the way in an Asian antique store to admire an antique elm blanket chest.  I'm dreaming about having something like it as a place to store away my crafts in the living room.  

As I continued to stroll home, I stopped off at a market and bought more spinach, avocados, various types of legumes, a large bottle of hot sauce and a large bottle of Braggs Liquid Amino Acids (32 ounces for $8.99 Canadian) . I still need some red peppers so I'll have to pick those up another day.

If any of you use Braggs Liquid Amino Acids you will know that it can be expensive.  I've used this product for many years as a way to flavour foods like stir frys and soups as it helps me lower the use of salt. The price can vary considerably from store to store and the place where I usually buy it, no longer carries it.  I'm sure I've wondered before but I'm wondering again, what is the difference between Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids made with soy and water, and other soy sauce?  I read some answers here. 

I like that they do not use GMO soy beans in this product (or any of their other products). But after a bit of research, I found two soy sauces that are non GMO which I can find in my local markets if I need alternatives. One of them is Shoyu Soy Sauce and the other is Tamari Soy Sauce. Click here if you would like to see these alternatives (I don't receive any royalties or payments if you should purchase online).

In doing a small amount of research, I learned that genetically-modified soy accounts for over 90 percent of soy grown in the United States. Soy is present both in whole foods such as tofu and soybeans, in addition to soy products, which include soy sauce, tempeh, soy milk and processed meat substitutes like soy burgers and soy dogs. Packaged foods that list soy protein isolate or soy protein concentrate in their ingredients include cookies, crackers, beef products, and breads. Soy oil often appears in dressings and sauces. I don't use a lot of soy products and I don't drink soy milk or purchase too many packaged foods nowadays.  But I do like my soy sauce so GMO free is the way to go for me.

How about you? Do you make fresh juices or use a GMO free soy sauce?

Thanksgiving Dinner

 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. 

Psalm 95:2-3

Main ingredients for the kale salad

Cooked quinoa

The salad is assembled with the steamed kale, the cooked quinoa, the cranberries, pumpkin seeds and dressing

Mashed cauliflower

Cauliflower with shredded cheese ready for the oven

Baked cauliflower and cheese ready to eat

Rosemary, garlic roasted chicken

Pumpkin mousse pie filling put into springform pan

After releasing the spring, it was obvious that the mousse did not set. We ate it anyway and it was good ;-)

Dinner assembled

The Thanksgiving Dinner was a success. It was the first time I've tried three of the dishes: the kale salad with quinoa and cranberries, the mashed cauliflower and cheese bake and the pumpkin pie mousse.  Everything was quite delicious and you can find all the recipes at my post here.  I could not eat the main part of my chicken so I wll save it for tomorrow's lunch. Needless to say there is a lot of mousse pie left. I would recommend making the pie when you have company because it is very, very filling.

The only problem with the dinner was when we went to eat the pumpkin mousse pie I discovered it wasn't set properly.

After reflection I realized that my little package of gelatin had about 1 teaspoon of gelatin rather than the 2 tablespoons required.  That would explain why it wasn't set properly! Nonetheless the filling was so good. I also ended up having to make my own graham wafer pie crust as there were none today in the grocery store. It was the first time I've made it and it was relatively simple.

If you are in Canada, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you had a moment or two to reflect on those things for which you can give thanks. We are so blessed here in this country.  For my blogging friends who live elsewhere, I am thankful for you and the time you take to share with me through your writings and your comments.

Spinach - Asparagus- Fennel Juice

I haven't posted my juice recipe for a day or two but I have continued to juice my produce as a way of getting more vegetables into my diet.

Today I had a wonderful juice with spinach as the primary ingredient.

I used about 3 x the spinach pictured here (under the cucumber), left over asparagus which was starting to go soft, left over fennel, one a half tomatoes, one left over from a sandwich and a bit of English cucumber.

Spinach is very good for you which I'm sure you already know.  Spinach contains calcium, folic acid, vitamins K and A, and iron. Spinach is also rich in vitamin C, fiber and carotenoids as well as lutein and bioflavanoids. The calcium of course helps to strengthen the bones.  Vitamins A and C help to control cancer, especially colon, lung and breast cancer. Folic acid helps to lower the blood of homocysteine levels.  Homeocysteine is a protein that damages the arteries so spinach is good for your heart.  If you are older, the flavenoids will help protect against age related memory loss and the lutein will help prevent cataracts as well as age related macular degeneration which is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Asparagus is packed with nutrients like folic acid, potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, thiamine and rutin, a compound that strengthens capillary walls. Asparagus has no fat, does not contain cholesterol and is low in sodium.

Tomatoes are actually a fruit and not a vegetable though I still call it a vegetable.  One of the greatest benefits of eating tomatoes is the high lycopene content.  Lycopene is a vital anti-oxidant that helps in the fight against cancerous cell formation as well as other kinds of health complications and diseases. Tomatoes are also especially good as source of Vitamins A and C.

I was able to add my left over fennel to the juice.  If you missed my information about the health benefits of fennel, please click and  read here.

This juice was delicious!

Mom's Friend, Jean

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.

John Churton Collins

Mom has a good friend with the same given name "Jean".  They have been friends for many years now.  Jean was actually the pastor's wife at the little church where I went to Sunday School as a child. Her husband was a school bus driver who pastored the small church where I was allowed to attend on Sundays and during the week even though my family were not Christian.

I loved that church. I loved going to Sunday School and learning scripture verses. I especially enjoyed Christmas and the re-enactment of the biblical story of Jesus' birth. Jean's son would faithfully arrive at our  home several times each week to take my siblings and I to church services and functions.  Once or twice a year, my mother would attend church too and "pretend" she was a Christian. We laugh about it years later when mom realized she wasn't fooling anyone but herself.  Yet everyone was so gracious and loving toward her.

After we moved away from that small town and the "little church" as I like to call it, the pastor and his wife Jean moved to Alberta, the province next door.  A few years later he died of a heart attack.  His wife and only daughter, the youngest of the children,  have been living together ever since. I've never seen them since I was a child but my mother and Jean have kept in touch over the years, especially after mom became a Christian and a widow herself.

I wanted a pink brooch for Jean but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. This pin was the closest I could come to finding what I wanted. I think the addition of the pearls matches nicely with the winter white pashmina shawl.


Through the years the two women have remained firm friends, seeking each other out for heart to heart conversations and for prayer for family and health needs.Jean is about 10 years older than mom.   Mom's health has steadily declined in recent years and not too long ago mom asked me to help her buy something for her friend, Jean. Of course I readily agreed.

A friend loves at all times.

Proverbs 17:17

After some reflection of Jean's age and limited needs, I decided upon a nice shawl and pin which Jean could wear to church.  She could also wear the shawl around the house if she feels a child.  Since I was buying a gift for mom's friend. I also bought something similar for mom.  She can wear them when she attends church services at the residence where she now lives.

You can't really tell but the shawl does match with graduated rose and plum colours which are picked up in the crystals.

My mother and Jean enjoying a long and wonderful friendship has been a comfort to me.  Over the years they have confided in one another and prayed with one another through many health episodes and other challenges.  As Jean advances in age and increasingly gets sick herself, my thoughts turn to her and her daughter and I offer prayers for their needs too.

In this year's Thanksgiving remembrance, 
I give thanks for my mom's enduring friendship which has not only blessed my mother,
but the entire family.

What are you most thankful for this year?

Thanksgiving Goodies

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay your vows unto the most High.

Psalm 50:14

It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and we celebrate Thanksgiving on Monday, October 10, 2011.  I was wondering what to make that would be healthy.

Most of my lovely readers know that I've been trying to eat healthier and find different and fun recipes for using vegetables and other healthy foods. Creative and interesting ways of eating these foods means I will be more likely to eat them.

In my family we tend to eat turkey for the Thanksgiving meal. This year we will have a stuffed chicken. For dessert we will probably have pumpkin pie or maybe a pumpkin mousse pie.  For mashed potatoes I thought I would  make mashed cauliflower (mock mashed potatos) for a change and I'd like to try this new recipe for kale salad. I haven't cooked the dinner yet and probably won't until Monday so I am having to use other photos (with proper credit given). I wanted to share the recipes with you in case you want to use any of them.

The first recipe comes from nutritionist, Julie Daniluk, host of Healthy Gourmet, a reality cooking show.  The other recipes I picked up here and there.  Ms. Daniluk's  first book, Meals that Heal Inflammation is soon to be published and I understand it will advise on allergy free foods that both taste great and help the body's healing process.

THANKGIVING KALE SALAD

Photo credit: Julie Daniluk and Chatelaine magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (yields 4 cooked cups)
2 1/2 cups water, divided
8 cups kale (yields 4 steamed cups), stems removed, cut into ribbons
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries (juice-sweetened)

Dressing:
1/4 cup pumpkin seed butter (use almond butter if you can't find pumpkin)
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt (reduce if needed)

Directions:

1. Place quinoa and 1.5 cups of water into a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat for five minutes, then fluff with a fork. Let cool.

2. Place kale and 1 cup water in a large pot and steam for two minutes. Drain well.

3. Place cooked quinoa into kale pot. Add seeds and berries. Mix well to combine.

4. Mix all dressing ingredients together in a bowl and add to pot.

5. Combine well. Serve warm immediately or chill and serve.

Makes nine cups.

Modifications:  Since there will only be two of us for Thanksgiving dinner, I will quarter this recipe. I also plan to use almond butter rather than pumpkin seed butter as that is what I could find at the shop yesterday.

For my readers in Africa or for those who don't have quinoa readily available you could use cous cous, bulgar wheat, cracked wheat, or barley.  For the pumpkin seed butter you could substitute smooth peanut butter in the dressing recipe and use any kind of seeds (pumpkin, sliced almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc.) in the salad itself.

CAULIFLOWER "MASHED" POTATOES 

1 head cauliflower
1/8 skim milk
Salt & pepper
Optional seasonings: Ranch dressing, garlic, cheddar cheese, chili powder.
 
Cook cauliflower until fork tender. Place cauliflower (in pieces), skim milk, salt and pepper in blender. Whip until smooth. Pour cauliflower into small baking dish. Sprinkle with seasoning to taste. A few shakes of Ranch dressing powder,  or add garlic, salt and pepper, cheddar cheese, or a dash of chili powder. Serve hot/warm.

PUMPKIN MOUSSE PIE

1 graham wafer pie crust
2 tbsp. gelatin powder
1 cup water
1 cup whipping cream
1 can (19 oz). pumpkin pie filling
1 cup walnuts
1 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 nutmeg

Sprinkle gelatin in 1/2 water.  Boil remaining water, add to gelatin and stir until dissolved. In a separate bowl, whip whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin pie filling, walnuts, mascarpone, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg, stir well.   If you don't have mascarpone cheese you can use creme fraiche or cream cheese beaten with heavy whipping cream (about 3 parts cream cheese and 1 part whipping cream). Perhaps you could even use thick, plain yogurt. I think I will look use the yogurt myself.  Add gelatin. fold in whipped cream until combined and pour mousse into the ready made graham wafer pie crust. Gently shake the pie pan to release the air bubble and smooth out the surface.


 I hope  you enjoy these Thanksgiving meal recipes.
 It is a good time to reflect on all the many blessings we have at this time of year, especially the things we may take for granted.  For example, parents or loved one, a job or some means of financial support, shelter, food, the ability to walk, see, hear, etc. I am thankful for all these things and more especially since my ability to walk has been recently restricted.

Check out my post tomorrow to read one more thing for which I give thanks.

One Foot Forward & Two Steps Back

I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1

After having about two days of little to no inflammation and my right leg feeling almost perfectly better, I was feeling rather hopeful about being able to walk again soon. Perhaps I overdid it. I don't know but it does appear that way. Because today I was in excruciating pain.

We are fully into the Fall season here but have had a lot of rain already. I love to walk outside when it isn't raining and enjoy the Fall colours.

The pain started up again on Thursday night while I tried to sleep. It slowly got worse. Yesterday I walked about 18 city blocks and for 7 of those I was carrying heavy bags of groceries. Did that aggravate my leg pain?  In retrospect, probably "yes".

I especially like to see all the leaves on the ground.  The moment I stepped off the city bus, I was captivated by this red leaf amongst all the golden ones.

My acupuncture doctor said I should be taking it easy and go slowly, very slowly with my activities. I told her that until one tries something and realizes it was too much, how is one to know that it was too much? I said that it is only normal to do things when you start to heal.  She thought I was making excuses. She said the healing takes time and that as long as I am moving forward (with healing) then we are going in the right direction.

I had to capture the red maple leaf up close. This is the leaf that is on Canada's flag.  Isn't it pretty?

I do totally agree that healing takes time but I figure I have given it a lot of time already (about 7 weeks) and so I thought we were kind of getting to the end of the healing process. My acupuncturist shared with me that she herself had similar leg issues which took a year to get better and she is a healthy person with no previous illnesses, as well as a Tai Chi instructor. I thought "wow!".  If it took her that long, it is going to take me even more time!  Here I thought I was nearing the finish line of therapy. That's a laugh.  I guess I have to take it easier than I thought.

I'm learning that I don't have a lot of patience. I am raring to do things and move normally.  I've been praying a lot for myself and especially as I get my treatments.  The scripture verse at the top tells me I need to be patient and expectant.  When my body says slow down.  I must listen.

Are you a patient person or an impatient one?
How do you deal with inconveniences like what I'm dealing with?

I like the wild English garden look in this photo. I don't know the name of the flowers.

I took some photos that brightened my day. It won't be long before there are no more beautiful flowers to photograph here. Hopefully, I've taken enough of them so I can share them now and then during our long, rainy winter.

I take this time to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving as we celebrate Thanksgiving here on Monday, October 11, 2011 this year.  If I am up to it on Monday, I will make a small dinner.   I won't be making a large turkey. Instead I will make roasted chicken, mashed cauliflower (or mock mashed potatoes), kale salad and pumpkin pie. I'll post the recipes later. Have a blessed holiday.

Today's Juice

‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore is not an act but a habit.’

Aristotle

I read the quote earlier this week on someone's blog and I liked it because it is the habits of excellence in regards to healthy eating and living that I am trying to achieve right now.

One of those habits is to make sure I get my greens. In my most recent juicing experiment I used

- one bunch of kale with the ends of the stalks removed
- 2 or 3 cauliflower florets
- 1 small green pepper
- 1/3 of a carrot for sweetener

There wasn't a whole lot of juice from juicing a whole bunch of kale. I used 3 or 4 times what you see in the top photo. I didn't quite use enough carrot to cut the bitterness but it wasn't that bad especially as there wasn't a full glass of it. You can see the juice is very dark and green and I like the foam on top. For the nutritional benefits of kale, read here.

Macro Flowers, October 7, 2011

If you've been following my blog posts on macro flowers you will know that I often take photos as I go on short walks in my neighbourhood.  I don't have a big garden and I don't seem to have a green thumb either. It's probably because I spend so little time cultivating what I plant.  Some day I hope to take up gardening a little more seriously.  In the meantime, I'm fortunate that I live in a city of avid gardeners and I don't have to go far to enjoy flowering plants.

In one of my walks, I took these photos of the delightful little bush with small, white flowers. I was enthralled by the centre of the flower which if you examine it closely looks a lot like the daisies I featured in this post.

My hand wasn't steady enough for the first macro shot.

This shot is a little better. At least you can make out the intricate pattern. Isn't it lovely?

Hummus & Veg

Yesterday (Wednesday)  I made some vegetable juice for lunch and had a pasta stir fry with lots of vegetables and shrimp for dinner. It was great but I was so full.  Today that juice really worked on me to cleanse my system.  So today I made juice again but I reversed the order of meals and opted to have juice for dinner.  Instead of my usual and savoured coffee, I had several cups of green tea.

I had my regular lunch and tonight I had a green juice instead of the fennel I talked about yesterday. I made spinach juice with some cauliflower and a small amount of apple for sweetner. I also added some water and some green powder (full of spirulina and such like). It was good with the apple otherwise it would have tasted like alfalfa (I know what tastes like as mom used to make a health potion when I was a child and it had alfalfa powder in it).

My spinach - cauliflower and apple juice.

Yesterday I boiled up some chick peas to have on hand for when I want to make hummus.  So tonight I made hummus and had that with some veggies, whole wheat pita warmed up in the oven and of course my green juice.

I was feeling very tired today. It seems that almost everyone I speak with near or far has some kind of early cold bug. I got mine last week. My acupuncture doctor even told me today that her pup has a "doggy cold". I didn't know dogs get a cold but she says it is phlegm in his chest and she is treating him like she treats her human patients.  Giving him herbs to expel the mucus.

I suppose it is the change of weather and seasons that is making people sick. Hopefully the greens will help me keep my immune system strong. I noticed I got over the little cold I had last week and it hardly bothered me at all.

A sample of my dinner.

Hummus is a popular dish that originated in the Middle East. It is a spread, dip, or paste made of chickpeas and tahini that is usually eaten with pita or any other flat bread, often during breakfast. It has a texture and consistency similar with peanut butter. This Middle Eastern favorite is widely used in countries like Syria, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon. Its popularity is rooted not only from its delicious taste but also from its great nutritional value.


The nutritional benefits of hummus can be gleaned from each of its ingredients. The primary ingredient, chickpeas are very healthy because they do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fats. They are also rich in protein. This makes hummus a favorite among vegetarians. Chickpeas are also known to be effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels. Apart from that, it can maintain correct blood sugar levels. So chickpeas are a perfect food for my health issues.  Olive oil is a healthy fat and can help regulate cholesterol and protect the heart from various diseases. Garlic and lemon juice are great antioxidants and help strengthen the immune system and help fight bacteria and viruses. Tahini is full of fat and calories but you don't need much if you use it in your hummus.  I don't generally use tahini in my hummus because it is just one more ingredient I have to have on hand and I wouldn't use it very often.  My recipe for hummus is therefore, "tahini free".

Ingredients for hummus

- chick peas cooked
- liquid from the stored chick peas
- one small red pepper
- cloves of garlic to taste
- lemon juice to taste
- olive oil not too much, just enough to make it a bit smooth
- a bit of salt to taste


Whip all this up in a blender or food processor. I add the olive oil slowly at the end so I don't add too much and I add the salt at the end too.  Perhaps you don't even want or need any salt in your hummus. Taste it first and see.  I added the red pepper because I like red peppers and it adds a slightly deeper colour.

I boil up dried chick peas most of the time rather than buy them canned. After I cook them I store them in the refrigerator in a covered container with a bit of water.  I use some of that water in the hummus mixture when I process them.

My hummus was all right but I rushed to make it so I can have dinner before 8 p.m. and I need to work on getting the right balance of garlic and lemon juice.  The consistency was perfect and went well with my warmed up pita.


Try it and let me know how you like it :-)