Purslane for the Brain and Other Weedy Wonders

-->

Happy Garden time!  I just planted Purslane for my brain. Why? It has more Omega 3- fatty acids than found in some fish oils.  It is known as Portulaca Oleracea and is sometimes referred to as pusley, pigweed or verdolaga.  Native to the Indian sub-continent, it is now spread across continents as a wild weed seeking our friendship, truly.   Our brains are starved for fat in a low fat promoting world and this is one non fishy way to get some.  I love going out to the garden in the morning to just nibble on it.  Hardy, low-lying, very easy to grow just about anywhere.  The yellow flower buds are also edible.  Add to salads for a succulent slighty sour and salty punch.  I want to experiment with adding it to pestos this summer.


 Other weedy wonders, you may ask?   Read on and click on these amazing links for the absolute wonder of Dandelion - a full body pick me up for spring de-tox, cleansing the liver and supporting the kidneys.  I just made some dandelion vinegar, now steeping flower heads and leaves for several weeks in slightly heated apple cider vinegar.  I plan to use it in salad dressings and as a morning alkaline boost supplement straight out of the bottle. I teaspoon in hot water will do too. 

Fun things to do with Dandelions 
and one more with excellent weedy wonder options!
Herbs and weeds every mother should plant 

If you are interested in getting linked into a great boomerbrain blog archive I update now and again on keeping your brain healthy.. let me know at MarieFrohlich@gmail.com

Please pass this onto a friend, sign up to follow my blog and visit my website, if you are interested in getting some break-through health coaching for yourself  or health coaching support at your workplace.   I work with a holistic team of professionals at The Coaching Center of Vermont's division of Vital Wellness and welcome your inquiries.

Enjoy what is left of our leafed out Spring - as you warm into the summer months of garden growth and glowing health.

What's in Your Office/Desk Pantry for Energy and Focus?

 Do you crave that special something at 2-3 in the afternoon?

I recently listened to a Public radio station program on cooking with a microwave at work. Things like making a microwave mac 'n cheese in a coffee cup and even a brownie dessert!  It got me thinking about office pantries and snacks in desk drawers and the tired items in vending machines most of us have access to at work.   I thought this blog might help you shift to some other ideas and encourage me to keep some of these goodies and tips on hand for myself. 

I Want to Keep it Simple  Fruits, veggies with hummus, miso soup, or an apple with almond butter - small baggies of nut and seed mixes... all some of the best snacks for their fiber and protein.  Your fridge at work can hold hard boiled eggs for days, cheese, greek yogurt.  Energy bars.. read the labels for sugar and avoid soy protein isolate.

I love Cheese - a great source of protein and calcium. Since protein curbs hunger and keeps you feeling satisfied after meals and snacks, cheese can help you to lose weight. As part of a well-rounded nutrition plan, the protein in cheese can slow down the absorption of carbohydrates eaten at the same meal or snack and therefore help balance your blood-sugar levels and improve mood as well.
from Joy Bauer  I love these Cabot 3/4 oz cheese snacks with an apple in the afternoon - just when you need a boost of energy.

Addicted to Seaweed!.. roasted, salted, seasoned.. yum!  I am actually addicted to these and buy them at costco in bulk.  A wonderful packet to keep in your car, drawer and office pantry.  Seaweed snacks actually cut cravings and help mineralize your system, often depleted from lack of greens in our diets. "Three minutes of jogging or eight minutes of weightlifting burns the 30 calories from eating 6 g of seaweed snacks. If you ate a 1-oz. serving of potato chips instead, you'd have to spend more than 15 minutes jogging or 41 minutes weightlifting to burn off the 150 calories that snack contains." Read more

What I know about Pumpkin seeds - Power Packed Protein
A. I love them and know that the zinc in them helps keep colds at bay.
B. Zinc is known to reduce depression.
C. They’re high in the sleep-enhancing amino acid tryptophan that converts to serotonin in your body and helps ensure a good night’s sleep;
D. The high levels of easily-digestible protein helps stabilize blood sugar when eaten as a snack throughout the day.  Stable blood sugar means weight loss if you’re trying to lose. E.  High in Omega 3s, pumpkin seed oil has been shown in studies to reduce the incidence of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)—a condition in which the prostate gland becomes enlarged. Read more

Plan your snacks - when you shop for the week ahead, consider your needs at work for snacking and get enough to bring with you daily or stock your office pantry together with your workmates.  Bulk buying can pay off and more and more healthy foods are available in bulk.   Happy healthy snacking!

MARIE's HEALTH COACHING CONNECTIONS
Workplace Wellness  --Vital Wellness at the Coaching Center of Vermont
One hour Health History Session and 3 or 6 month programs:  MarieFrohlich.com
Follow this Blog or find me on twitter

Boosting Balance Through the Seasons

Warm Greetings from Cold Vermont!

Let's  have a cup of tea together and take a look ahead at 2013, a new beginning in the cycle in time.  It is the year of the Water Snake in China and Dynamic change. A time to assess how adaptable and flexible we are for facing change and for making the changes we need.  I encourage you to look at 2013 as the year of creating your very own culture of health. Start by taking deep breaths in with intentions of joy and abundance and exhaling out all that does not serve you right now.

2013 begins for China on February 10th. A time to be prepared by taking a look at what needs more balance in our lives and setting goals to help harmonize our bodies and ourselves.  There is so much shifting beneath our feet right now on so many levels of external factors which can translate to more stress and tension in body, mind and soul.

I am adapting to my own new year ahead by getting more grateful everyday and observing how my energy follows intention.  Is the intention bringing in positive energy?  Am I getting better at setting boundaries and attending to my own health so I can be energized for others?  Who do I infuse with my energy everyday? Am I enjoying who infuses (and enthuses )me?   I am also working on getting more flexible physically.  A flexible body supports a flexible mind. My February mantra: " Harness and protect the energy you have for you"

In honor of Boosting your Balance for the Chinges New Year - I am re-sharing the most popular seasonal recipes from blogs past. Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Month!  Pass this on to a friend or family member and follow me to get the latest updates in workshops and coach offerings for individuals and groups at home or on the job.  You can click here to learn more.
Deep gratitude.
Love,
Marie

Ginger, Rosemary Mashed beets withSweet potatoes 

WINTER WARMTH AND CIRCULATON 

3 medium beets
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup Cabot Farmer's Greek style yogurt (low fat available)
Fresh Rosemary sprig
1/2 inch of grated Ginger
Small bunch of green onions
1T Butter or Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut up sweet potatoes and beets, steam with Rosemary and grated ginger for 20 minutes. Place beets on bottom and sweet potatoes on top as they soften faster. If you prefer, you can also roast for 45 minutes at 375 F with the same spices. When ready, put potatoes and beets in a bowl and mash with a potato masher using some of the steamed water, reserve the rest for a beverage. Stir in the Greek style yogurt.

Chop the green onions and lightly sautee with the olive oil or butter in a small pan. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Top mashed sweet potatoes and beets with green onions. Enjoy the sweet steam bath water as a nutritious beverage to go with a meal. 

Cilantro Smoothie for Spring Detox!

Cilantro... "incredibly refreshing" and "hard to believe adding this in a smoothie could make it taste so good" - comments from my spring fling workshop with the central Vermont chapter of WBON-Women's Owner's Business Network.  Cilantro is medicine, a healing food- it will pull out the heavy metals from your system and has anti-inflammatory powers among many others - two teaspoons a day is all you need. Check out the benefits below, play with the recipe.. add different fruit or use yogurt instead of almond milk..get your green on..explore and discover yum and tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk or yogurt
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 cup banana
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 cup Frozen Blueberries
• 4 dates

 

-->

 SUMMER Light Dinner Salad

 INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon vegetable or coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and
chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans,
rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion
and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season
with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a
boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5
minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro

from allrecipes.com

FALL - GETTING TO an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

HERBS/Mushrooms that reduce inflammation: Lemon Grass, Green Tea, Ginger, Tulsi, Rosemary, Oregano, Skullcap, Shiitake Mushroom, My Chaga :).

A Day on the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

• Breakfast:
• Citrus Salad with Ginger Yogurt
• Lunch:
• Indian Spiced Carrot Soup with Ginger
• Red Bell Pepper, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Salad with Oregano Dressing
  with whole-wheat crackers
• Dinner:
• Pan Seared Salmon on Baby Arugula
• Roasted Root Vegetables
• Dessert:
  Raspberry Sorbet