Beans and Rice
Beans and rice are a staple in many cultures around the world and it certainly does not need to be boring! This grain and legume combo provides needed nutrients, so let's add more. This dish is low cost and filling and a great one pan meal. Extra vegetables and seasonings make it pretty tasty! Here is my recipe below, but you can modify it and make it even more spicy. Prep time was about 30 minutes. Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (white or brown)
- 1 can black beans (UNDRAINED)
- 3/4 cup frozen corn
- 1 shallot or small onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 jar salsa
- splash of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste.
- 1/2 lime
Instructions
Add the diced onions to a large, hot skillet. Sauté and stir so that they do not stick. Meanwhile, start cooking your rice.* Once onions are a bit browned, add the diced red pepper. Stir and sauté for a few minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Stir in the corn and about half of the vegetable broth. Stir and simmer for a few minutes. Add the undrained black beans and salsa. Stir. The mixture should be a bit creamy. Add the seasonings and squeeze in the lime juice. Add more vegetable broth if needed so that the mixture is creamy. Add in your cooked rice and stir. Add more broth if needed as the rice might absorb the moisture. Let simmer a few minutes to meld the flavors. Top with a few slices of avocado if desired.
*Rice cooking tip: I cook my rice like pasta, adding more water than needed. Once done, drain the excess water.
Easy Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 8 Cups Vegetarian Vegetable broth (2 cartons),
- 5 cups water,
- 1 small onion,
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic,
- 3 carrots,
- 1/2 bag frozen peas,
- 1 cup orzo,
- Italian seasoning (I used oregano & basil or you can use the jarred seasoning),
- 1 bay leaf,
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- Dice onions and garlic and simmer in a small amount of broth until tender; add the seasonings and carrots and simmer until aromatic; add the broth and water; simmer about 30 minutes until broth is hot; add the peas and simmer another 15 minutes; add the orzo (uncooked). Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add more than 1 cup if you want more pasta. Simmer until orzo is tender.
The base for this broth is easy. You can sub any kind of pasta or potatoes if desired. Throw in some sliced zucchini or any other vegetable if you don't like peas.
Are you getting your rest?
I just returned from the Shenandoah mountains of Virginia. It was a restful week, with some hiking and trail riding, good dinners and great conversations with my daughter, and some time to read, journal and reflect on life. The picture is my view of the evening sunset during the week.
I won't lie, I brought my laptop, fully intending on doing some writing, planning, and tweaking of classes. I am so glad that God had other plans. So, I wrote some notes in my calendar (yes, I brought that as well) and put it away.
Do you find it difficult to stop and let go of the "have-tos"? I love what I do and love the planning and tweaking but had to admit that I do need to stop and look up at times. Even though I make a point of taking a weekly sabbath, I am not on a "full stop." There are still things swirling around in my head that I need to put away in order to get the restful sleep that I need.
When we are to the point of having foggy brain and soul fatigue, and just plain tired, then we need to actively work on soul rest, which facilitates mind rest, which in turn, facilitates body rest. We were created with this connection: body, mind, spirit. Rest in one area impacts the others.
In her book "Rest Girl", Jamie Amerine says "When our minds feel defeated and we live a restless existence, that is what we see and experience." She states that more than sleepless nights and busy schedules, the source of exhaustion has more to do with our deep-seated beliefs and our mindset based on those well-intended beliefs, and that fear is the thief of real rest.
What are you thinking about when your head hits the pillow? All of those what-ifs are basically fears of the unknown. Then you make the mental to-do list and wonder what you forgot or should have done. Then, when you finally do get out of bed in the morning, the weight of it all bears down on you, causing you to feel defeated before you even start.
Practicing mindfulness and spirit rest is a worthwhile endeavor and helps us bear the weight of life's challenges. Emotional and mental weariness can be harder to overcome than physical tiredness.
"Have you considered the difference between soul rest and self-care? These two concepts often overlap. When we need rest, we tend to think about self-care or even self-comfort solutions. Self-care has to do with caring for our physical, mental, and emotional needs. Soul care happens when we trust Christ with our needs, relying on his presence and help to sustain us." (Ginger Harrington)
Escaping by binging Netflix is not soul care. It might be a quick fix, but not a solution. Rest is important. The bible mentions it 548 times!
Here are practices that you can try:
1. Do a daily "soul check". A journal is a handy tool for this. Ask yourself, what are my burdens? What am I carrying that does not belong to me? Can you release it and trust God? What is the worst that can happen if something doesn't get done? Address your barriers.
2. Close out your day. Before bedtime, write down anything on your mind, what did not get done, what needs to be done the next day, who needs what, who you need to call, etc. Then close the calendar. Close the book on it!
3. Plan everything but be flexible. I have found that using my calendar with nice size blocks facilitates tracking what I need to do. I write down everything! Appointments, calls, classes, errands, exercise times, etc. It is much better than using your phone calendar.
4. Connect with others. Conversations with close friends and like-minded, positive people encourages and builds our strong values and ethics. Connections with others is a component of optimal health.
5. Inhale some essential oils before bedtime. I like Lavendar, Cedarwood and Orange.
6. Practice breathing exercises. We have taught this in some of our classes.
Mindset and habit change facilitates building new pathways in the brain as you develop new and better habits for yourself. I will be scheduling the Forming and Maintaining Optimal Habits class soon, so stay tuned. This class will give you more tools to learn how to strategize your daily habits.
Remember to breath, rest and not be hard on yourself because you are worth it.
Liz
You are probably familiar with the term "autoimmune". You might have seen the social media posts stating, "I just wish more people understood what an autoimmune disease is." It is true that most people do not display symptoms, and those with autoimmune issues have a difficult time expressing how they feel. It is also true that if you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, such as Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn's, Celiac, Sjogren's, etc., you will most likely prone to having more than one.
This is a subject that I have been researching for years, ever since being diagnosed with crohn's disease in the 80's, and why I do what I do.
So, what is it exactly? Autoimmune means that the body has an immune reaction to substances naturally present in the body. In other words, the immune system attacks “self.” This can happen in most tissues in the body and, accordingly, there are more than 80 autoimmune diseases that have been named and described, the root being increasing inflammation in the body. Many autoimmune diseases are rare and have been the subject of very limited research but as a group, are common, affecting 7-10% of the population, with women being more affected.
Autoimmune diseases can be extremely difficult to diagnose and often present with vague, nonspecific symptoms like fatigue, odd pains, or skin rashes. Given the prevalence, along with the lack of scientific understanding and the vague symptoms, autoimmune diseases have become something of a “catch-all” in the public mind. If an illness goes undiagnosed, is composed of a collection of nonspecific symptoms, people might naturally wonder about “autoimmune.”
Autoimmune disease is extraordinarily complicated. There are several intertwined factors that may affect risk of autoimmune disease:
- Genes (especially celiac and ankylosing spondylitis)
- Infections
- Environmental factors (including diet, sun exposure, and tobacco use)
- Gut health (which includes the bacteria living in your intestine and their activity.
Leaky gut is a condition that always accompanies any autoimmune disease and treatment with probiotics has been shown to improve outcomes for patients. Having a healthy colony of beneficial bacteria is crucial for your immune function, your ability to absorb nutrients from food, and your ability to keep the intestinal barrier healthy so that partially digested food and other pathogens and bacteria don't get into the bloodstream.
There is no "cure" for autoimmune diseases, unlike what I thought years ago when the crohn's went into remission then returned with a vengeance, culminating in having a foot of my colon removed. At the time of diagnosis, there was no internet where I could play online doctor. The doctor treating me at first never took the time to educate me and continued to prescribe multiple medications. When I asked him what foods I should eat or not eat, he told me that food had nothing to do with this. By the time there was internet, I was too sick and tired and had resigned myself to thinking that this was my way of life. My story goes deeper, and I usually share more with whoever wants to hear. But I need to share the most important part of my journey: how finding the RIGHT resources and learning how changing my diet and lifestyle enabled me to be in remission and stay that way.
It is not just diet, but there is evidence that psychological factors can be a trigger. There are two ways in which our thoughts and emotions can impact GI health. First, we have a nervous system in our GI tract called the enteric nervous system that operates independent of our autonomic and central nervous systems. Also, there are psychological profiles of people who are more inclined to develop and maintain irritable bowel, even when they do all the right things to fix it.
I love sharing and teaching and go into more detail and depth regarding these conditions in my classes. Taking the steps to control your health is the best thing you can do. Keeping informed is the best way to make choices and there are many opportunities to learn.
1. Sign up for the newsletter if you haven't already.
2. Check out the classes on my website. Most are available through zoom.
3. Schedule a health assessment and find out which program will work best for you.
4. Email me to learn about the healthy food offerings.
5. Email me to learn about becoming a member of Wellness Forum Health for more learning opportunities and exclusive content. (It's the best thing I ever did!)
Liz Fattore
Licensed Food Over Medicine Health Professional
Resources:
Thomas Campbell, M.D.
Pam Popper, PhD, ND
Lo Mein Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 8 oz package of lo mein noodles
- 1 medium head broccoli, cut in small florets
- 1 small Bok choy, sliced
- 1 medium/large red pepper, julienned
- 4 scallions (whites & greens) sliced
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- Sliced almonds (optional)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 low sodium tamari (soy sauce)
- Sesame oil
- Umami for drizzling
- Salt & Pepper
- Garlic powder
Instructions
Drizzle a little sesame oil in hot pan on medium high heat and add onions and peppers; sauté for about 4 minutes, add broccoli and the whites of the Bok choy; add salt, pepper & garlic powder, sauté and stir for about 3-4 minutes; add the vegetable broth and tamari. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are "al dente" tender. Add the greens of the Bok choy and simmer another few minutes. While the vegetables are simmering, cool the noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles and add them to the vegetables. Stir thoroughly. At this point, you can add more tamari, and the sesame seeds. Stir and drizzle with the Umami sauce and top with the sliced almonds. Serves 5-6
This recipe takes approximately 40 minutes and is a healthy substitute for take-out.
Tamari and Umami sauce can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store. Great to have on hand if you love Asian cuisine.
