Home Made Salsa

Salsa is totally overpriced! Most cheap salsa doesn't taste all that great anyway. Yet, salsa is so simple to make. All you need is a blender...

Blend together:
1 lg. yellow onion (peeled and quartered)
1 lg. can (28oz) of Tomatoes (they can be whole or diced, it doesn't matter)
4 garlic cloves (peeled)
1 or 2 pickled jalapenos (or just to your preferred taste)
1 or 2 TBS lime or lemon juice (again to taste)

After this has been blended well add some cilantro. I use a whole bunch of fresh leaves. Give the blender one final whirl to mix in the cilantro and chop it up a little but you don't want to blend it too much or the salsa will turn a gross green-brown color.
If you like chunky salsa, mix in a small can of diced tomatoes (14.5oz) and a small can of tomato paste (6oz).
If it is not as hot as you like add some of the juice from the pickled jalapenos at the end.
Refrigerate and enjoy!

Natural Cold and Flu Prevention

     It is cold and flu season. Half the people you know are sick. Everywhere you turn there are advertisements for medicines that will numb some of your cold and flu symptoms so that you can function. But wouldn't it be better to just not get sick in the first place? The flu shot is no solution because you can not immunize yourself against every virus you might encounter, there are too many. So the only way to stay healthy this season is to boost your immune system. I tried many different methods of boosting my immune system while working with 2 and 3 year old kids (who leak and spread germs constantly) and found some very effective herbs, vitamins, and tinctures.
Here are a few of my favorite remedies:

1) Source Naturals makes a product called Wellness Herbal Resistance Liquid. It is a tincture that contains Echinacea, Goldenseal and Yin Chiao Formula among other herbs. Both Echinacea and Goldenseal are very effective by themselves, but combined with the Chinese herbs in the Yin Chiao mixture, it really works! The same company (who did not pay me to write this) makes a tincture for children called Wellness Herbal Kids. It has basically the same active herbs in it but is less potent and made without alcohol but with vegetable glycerin instead so it taste much better. (I have also tried the Source Naturals Wellness Formula tablets or pills and found that they are less effective.) The amazing thing about this tincture is you can take it even after you start feeling sick and it will often kick the sickness before you get it. Most other immune boosters must be taken in advance so that they are in your bloodstream when you encounter a virus, but this tincture formula not only works that way but is also somewhat effect if you take it when you feel the first signs of an illness. (This product should not be used while pregnant or breast feeding.)  

2) Black Elder Berry extract is my new best friend (because I am currently pregnant). I have been using a concentrate made by Sambucus because it was inexpensive and was recommended to me, but I am sure other companies make great extracts as well. This is just the highly concentrated juice of the black elderberry plant mixed with a little vegetable glycerin. It is a great immune booster and is safe to take daily. Again you can find a more diluted formula for children. I drop a 1/8 of a teaspoon (kids don't need much) into my son's juice in the morning and he can't taste the difference. It is also safe to take while breastfeeding or pregnant. It is just a berry so unless you had an allergy to it, it should be safe for anyone.

3) Garlic has amazing flu fighting properties too. It is good for you anytime and is completely safe no matter who you are. Likewise Cheyenne pepper, if you can stomach it, is good at keeping colds away. Turmeric is equally amazing but also very intense. Food can be very powerful if you spice it right.

3) Another thing, safe for just about anyone, is good old vitamin C. I find it most effective if I take a 500 mg tablet once a day with a glass of lemon water. The tablets are good because they are concentrated but pure lemon juice absorbs better and faster. I squeeze an entire lemon into a quart of water. If I feel the first signs of a cold tickling my throat I suck on a lemon and swallow the juice slowly so it attacks whatever is attacking my throat. This is similar (but I find it to be more pleasant) to the method of gargling salt water.

4) Which brings me to my last tip: Drink more water! This should be obvious but most people are dehydrated. Water is good for you in many ways, but it helps maintain a healthy immune system too.

What do you do to boost your immune system already? What has or has not worked for you? I am always looking for more remedies. These are just some good ones I have found so far!

Applesauce Yogurt Muffins

These delicious muffins are moist and sweet but contain fiber from apples and calcium from yogurt! They are hearty, healthy, and yummy! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white flour
1 1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup flaxseed (or another type of wholesome flour) 
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional, you also can add more such spices if you like)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup quick oats (you can also use rolled oats for more texture)
1/2 cup* raisin (optional)
1/4 cup* cranberries (optional)
1/4 cup* walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup* sunflower seeds (optional)
(*Or you can just pour in then amount you want :-)

In a large mixing bowl mix up all the dry ingredients except for the oats (first 8 on the list). In another bowl mix together the wet ingredients and the oats. Combined the wet and dry ingredients. Mix in raisins, cranberries, and/or walnuts. Do not over mix!
With a large spoon, fill well greased muffin pans 3/4 of the way full.
Bake at 375 F for 18 minutes.

You can also sprinkle the muffins with this topping when they come out of the oven if you desire:

Mix together:
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
A few dashes of cinnamon (optional)
Sprinkle and spread over hot muffins. Let them cool a little in the pan. Enjoy hot or cool!

How to Cure Pleurisy Naturally

I had pleurisy and phenomena for over nine months. I went to doctors and took many different antibiotics. Modern medicine failed me. None of the doctors could cure me.

However, I have found a cure!

 

You'll need the following:

a heating pad

a clean washcloth

a towel

a bottle of pure Castor Oil

Eucalyptus oil (or a blend of oils that are good for the lungs)

Epsom salt (optional)

Herbal Tea for colds (optional)

 

Spread out the towel and prepare to lay or recline somewhere comfortable for a half an hour or more. (Have anything you might need in reach, water, cough drops, tea…) Turn on the heating pad. Drench the washcloth in Castor Oil. Add a few drops of Eucalyptus Oil too. Warm it with that heating pad. Then place the cloth on your chest over your lungs. Place the heating pad over the cloth. (You may also want to squeeze some Castor Oil directly onto you chest as well.)

 The Castor Oil will be heated by the pad and will absorb into your lungs. Rotate the washcloth and heating pad. You’ll want to lay with the heated oil on all areas of your lungs, front and back. Do this for at least a half hour if not for an hour or for as long as you like. (Don’t apply the oil to your tummy because that can cause diarrhea.) Do not do this if you are pregnant!!! Castor oil can result in premature labor or a miscarriage!

After you have covered your lungs with heated castor oil topically, take a hot bath with Epsom salt and Eucalyptus Oil. Soak in the hot water for a while before you wash all that oil off of your body.

I usually did this at night and drank a cup of tea with expectorant properties. Cherry tree bark and pleurisy root are really good with some peppermint or spearmint. When you wake up in the morning expect to cough deeply and expel large chunks of mucus. This is how you know that it worked! It is important to get the mucus out!  

Repeat this procedure 48 hours or a few days later. If you feel better after doing it two or three times then stop. Repeating this procedure every day or for too long is not recommended because the Castor Oil can cause a bit of diarrhea. If the pleurisy starts flaring up again then repeat this procedure as soon as possible.

Tofu on Salad

My favorite way to eat salad is with a little fried tofu on top!
Just cut tofu into bite size squares.
Fry in a little oil. Coconut oil is amazing! It makes everything taste better!
As the tofu turns brown sprinkle a little soy sauce and nutritional yeast on it.
Fry the tofu until it is medium brown.
Toss it hot on top of your cold salad.
It is simple, yet amazing and healthy too!

Baked Tofu

If you are a vegetarian or just don't eat much meat, you probably have visited the world of tofu many times before. Tofu, while a great source of protien, is totally bland and can have a funny texture. This recipe is a tasty alternative. It keeps well in the refigerator and makes a great on the go snack. Kids love them too!

Ingredience:
Tofu (Silken is the only Tofu that does not need refrigeration)
Soy Sauce or Bar-B-Q sauce

1.  Simply take the block of Tofu and cut it in half short ways. Then cut it into slices about a half inch thick, then cut the slices into strips about 3/4 a inch wide.

2. Take your tofu sticks and place them in a medium sized flat bottom dish. (A pie pan works great.) You don't want it so big that there is wasted space nor so small they you have to stack the tofu.

3. Cover the tofu with sauce.

4. Let the tofu soak for 4-8 hours, flipping the sticks every hour or two.

5. Lay sticks onto a baking tray.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

7. Flip the sticks over with a spatula and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

8. Remove, cool, and enjoy!

View Fall Color in Northwest Arkansas

This week the rainbow of autumn is blooming. Last weekend I explored some fantastic places to view the colors of autumn. The leaves were very vibrant but a lot of green remained. This coming weekend the leaves should be peaking. So get outside and see it!

Yellow Rock in Autumn

Yellow Rock at Devils Den state park will have to be my first choice. Certainly there are more amazing places to visit, but for all of you that live in or near the Northwest Arkansas urban area this is a short and accessible yet remote and quiet place to get away. Devil's Den is easy to find, just take the exit 53 off I540 and follow the signs. It might take 30 minutes or more to make it into the park from the freeway, but drive slow and admire the leaves. The turn off to the Yellow Rock trail is the first (sharp) left as your enter the park area. It is a few miles before you drop down to the river, camping, and main picnic area so watch for it and take it slow. The trail is a mile and a half each way if you stay on track but there is not a lot of change in elevation (300 feet). There are two turn offs in the main trail. Both go to lovely places, but to walk straight to Yellow Rock stay to the right if you see the first trail and then at the T, switchback to your left. When you arrive at the overlook you will know it. The beautiful yellow rock juts out of the high Ozark canopy and below you can see up and down Lee Creek. If you haven't been there take the time in the next two weeks before the leaves begin to fall.

Kings River Overlook is an Amazing View

If a three mile hike with hills seems a little too long to hike, and a drive sounds nice, the Kings River Overlook is an amazing sight to see. It is located on highway 23 about nine miles north of 412 and four miles south of highway 12. Look for brown signs to the Madision County Wildlife Management Area. Follow the main road and look for brown signs that say Kings River Overlook. From the parking lot, the trail is not much more than a mile round-trip and had no significant hills. The trail is very smooth and wide to walk abreast with a friend or two. The view is no only of the Kings River but also of the rolling hills all around it. After the leaves drop, the Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles migrate into the area. These magnificant birds spend all winter fishing in the Kings River and this is a great place to watch them flying. So this is a great winter hike as well, but be sure to bring binoculars!

Newton County is lovely this time of year. The bugs are subsiding and the leaves are falling. Wildlife is abundant and easy to view as animals scurry to find food and shelter before winter hits. Boxely Valley is always a glorious place to visit in every season. The towering bluffs, crystal clear Buffalo River, and old growth forest make it one of my favorite places on earth. It is over an hour from the city of Fayetteville, but well worth the drive. The fastest way to get there is to drive on 412 to highway 23 but taking highway 16 to 21 is more scenic. If you want to take a splendid drive, then swerve along the curves of highway 16 all the way to Jasper. There are many places to stop and look around. There is even a tower to climb and get a panoramic view as you near the tiny town of Jasper.

If your busy life will not allow you to leave the city, you can still find quite nooks and crannies inside the city limits. I am not familiar with the parks and trails of most of Northwest Arkansas. However, I know Fayetteville well. Sequoia Mountain and the historic district is always a lovely place to go because there are many old trees that remain there. But my favorite little hideaway is the confederate cemetery at the end of Rock Street (downtown, near to old courthouse). The fallen soldiers lie beneath some of the grandest old maple trees in town.

No matter where you choose to go, I recommend going, before the leaves all drop and winter set in!

Sweet Gum Leaves In October

My Top Five Morning Sickness Cures

After waking up nauseous a few mornings in a row, I took a pregnancy test. The first one said I was not pregnant. But the sickness continued. The second one also said I wasn't pregnant. Nevertheless, my morning sickness became undeniable. Finally the third pregnancy test showed me what I expected, I was pregnant. The exciting news made me vomit.
I am currently about 12 weeks (I think) and I have been terribly sick. I wasn't sick with my son, who I had three years ago, but this time around everything is different. I am sick all the time. For a while I was throwing up constantly, but lately I have found ways to keep it under control.
Here are my natural morning sickness tips:

1. Never get hungry
     This is by far the most important thing I have found and at the same time the hardest thing to accomplish when you are feeling sick and/or throwing up! As soon as your stomach is empty, all that stomach acid and all those hormones make you vomit. And once you start to vomit, you can not fill your tummy back up! It is a vicious cycle. Keep snacks in your purse, in your car, and in your pocket. Frequent small meals will be much easier to manage, rather than three big meals a day. What you eat is up to you. Most women find simple foods easier. But I found that I could not live off of salines and plain noodles alone. It is important to put vitamins, minerals, and potiens in your body as well. Experiement, listen to your body, and eat what your body craves.
2. Wear acupressure wrist bands and dowsed in peppermint essential oil
     You can buy these wrist bands online or at some drug stores (Walgreens has them). Mine were from the company "Sea Band" and they were about $10. They are simple and easy to wear. They stimulate the Nei Kuan points on your wrists. Though I found them helpful, the peppermint oil I dowsed them with was essential! The world is full of awful smells and pregnant women have a heightened sense of smell. So if you have wrist bands handy that smell like peppermint, anytime you smell something that makes you want to gag, smell your wrist. If you can't stand the smell of peppermint, try the same method with a smell you enjoy more.
3. Drink lemon water
     Lemons are alkalizing, so lemon water helps neutralize the acid in your stomach. I would suggest more than just a slice or two of lemon but rather a quarter of the fruit or more. Take only small sips of water, even if your thirsty. But drink as much as you can, dehydration is the most dangerous symptom of morning sickness!
4. Increase protein
     Saltines are great if you can't keep anything else down, but your baby needs protein! Of course meat is a good source of protien unless you are a vegetairian. Personally, meat makes me feel extra sick when I'm pregnant. Yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, and eggs (not fried, grease is hard to digest) are all really great sources of protein! Baked tofu sticks are awesome, vegan, and easy to eat cold anytime. Peanut (or almond) butter balls make an amazing snack too. (Check out my baked tofu recipe here or my peanut butter ball recipe here.) Also, hard boiled eggs are great anytime. Yogurt or cottage cheese is easy to eat when you are feeling awful; however, DO NOT drink lemon water while eating dairy. Lemons and dairy products don't mix well, so drink milk while eating yogurt or cottage cheese. Proient powder can be added to your milk to make it even better for you. I find some potien powders to be gross. My favorite is Spiru-tien because it tastes great and is full of everything the body needs. It can be found at some healthfood stores or online, but it is not cheap. If you try it, don't mix it with a spoon or shake it into the milk, use a blender; otherwise, you will get clumps.
5. Chew or suck on something strong
     Peppermint gum and ginger chews is what I used. Many moms use jolly ranchers or those pregnancy pops, but use what you like. The idea is to keep a nice taste and smell in your head. Don't try to subsitute this for food but rather keep something in your mouth between meals, especially while driving or dealing with smells.

I could go on and on. There are alot of remedies out there that work fairly well for many women. But honesty, I find too much information overwhelming; therefore, I am keeping it simple by sticking to my top five tips. Good Luck!