So Long, Laura McCoy
Laura McCoy has resigned from Acupuncture of Iowa. We thank her for her year and a half of fun, education, and sharing. We helped lots of people and learned a lot together. Best Wishes, LM, from the staff.
Laura McCoy has resigned from Acupuncture of Iowa. We thank her for her year and a half of fun, education, and sharing. We helped lots of people and learned a lot together. Best Wishes, LM, from the staff.
Here is a link that a friend recently sent. I think it is pretty interesting. Of course, some of the comments I disagree with. Perhaps you should just stick to the text of the article….
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arthur-rosenfeld/should-you-try-acupunctur_b_663421.html
Many people complain to me that they can’t lose weight. I recommend a lower carb diet and squash can be a great way to fill up and get that carb feeling, while adding tons of nutrients and avoiding the concentrated carbs of bread and potatoes. We love using squash instead of rice or noodles under stew or curry. One of the other great things about it is that it is SO EASY. And it keeps well in the fridge for the next day or so.
A bit about squash…Winter squash keeps well and is very economical to purchase. You can grow it easily in the summer and keep it for a long time over the winter. The spaghetti squash is famous because it is all strings and some people like to put spaghetti sauce over it. I think that is a bit silly because it is really good just with butter. It is the large oblong yellow one. The acorn squash is the dark green or orange one with the fluted sides. It is famous because people like grandmothers often bake it cut side up and fill the center with butter and or brown sugar. Yum. I’d leave out the sugar. And the butternut squash is the lightbulb shaped one. It is the one that people sometimes use instead of pumpkin to make a pie. It is just good as it is. Oh, and there is also pumpkin, which can be cooked and eaten like squash. We get extra ones in the fall, peel, cube, and steam it and keep it frozen. I could go on and on. So, for all of you who think you hate squash, try this recipe and see, once again, if you really dislike it as much as you thought. And get ready, this is about the most simple recipe I will ever put here.
Basic Baked Squash
Winter squash: spaghetti, acorn, or butternut, or pumpkin
Cut the stem end off the squash, and then cut it in half the long way, from North to South poles. I use a big chef’s knife. Sometimes you can use a cleaver and a rubber mallet to drive it through. Be careful of cutting yourself. It can take a lot of strength, especially if the squash is older and more dry on the surface.
Scrape out the seeds, using a big spoon. Put them in your compost. Or if you like, you can dry them and make baked seeds. Later.
Using a cookie sheet with a raised edge, also known as a jelly roll pan, you will bake the squash. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and put about 1/4 inch of water in it. Place the halves of the squash, cut side down, on the sheet.
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until it seems done.
Allow to cool a bit, scrape out the filling, and serve in mounds with butter, REAL BUTTER, and salt and pepper.
More later on this fascinating subject.
One of the most important ways to enhance detoxification through dietary means is to increase the vegetables in the diet. Veges of all types increase the numbers and types of minerals and vitamins, as well as other nutritional elements that are critical for the function of all the biological systems, most especially the liver. I recommend that everybody “take the challenge” and try to eat 8-9 servings daily of fruits and veges. Remember, a serving is one medium apple, pear or peach, and 1/2 c cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw vegetables. We recommend no bananas, as they have a property of spiking the blood sugar (high glycemic index).
Vegetable Stir Fry
This makes a big pile, enough for several servings. You can vary the types and amounts of veges to your liking. All slices should be about the same thickness, I like about 1/4 inch.
1 carrots, sliced thin on the diagonal
1 onion, top and bottom ends removed, sliced from North to South
1 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal
1 red bell pepper, core removed and sliced. I like to go from North to South
1 medium zucchini, ends removed and sliced
2 cups broccoli. Cut the top of the tree off. Make small trees, they call these florettes. Cut the bark off the trunk. Cut the bottom end off the trunk and then cut the whole thing on the diagonal
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed, if you like
1-2 T minced fresh ginger, if you like
2 T soy sauce, if you like
2 T olive oil, or more or less to your preference
1 T butter
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pan on High heat. Add the butter and melt it. Quickly, before the butter burns, add the onions and celery and stir and saute for about 3 minutes. Add ginger if using. Add the carrots and broccoli stems, and garlic if using. Cook 2-3 minutes until they are getting hot, then add the bell peppers, broccoli florettes. Check to see how things are getting done. If they are still pretty raw, cover the pan for a couple of minutes to allow things to steam. Or, stop cooking at any point. The veges should be bright in color and somewhat crunchy in texture. The garlic is added at the end here, to keep it from burning as that makes it bitter. At the very end, season with soy sauce. You can also drizzle sesame oil over it and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like.
The principle of making this work is to add the hard veges at the beginning so they can cook longer. Add the softer veges at the end so they don’t get too limp. We like beginning with onion as it gets sweet as it cooks and flavors all the other veges.
This is a staple in my house and keeps well in the fridge for future meals. Try different vegetables if you like. Purchase red bell peppers when they are on sale as they keep well. Green peppers are always affordable and go well in this dish. Other veges to try would be napa cabbage (add last as it cooks very fast), broccoli rabe, fennel bulb, summer squash, red or green cabbage, Japanese eggplant, parsnips, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and whatever you want to try.
It is easy to get 2-4 servings of your 8-9 of veges and fruits per day by eating this. Just two cups on your plate, next to the meat and whole grain is all you need to get 4 servings.
Greetings Readers!
In this blog, I will provide information of interest and use to my patients as well as all seekers of health. I will write articles on nutrition, exercise, topics in Asian medicine, research on health-related topics, and personal thoughts on various topics related to health.
Please check frequently to see what is on my mind at present.
You may respond by email. I will answer at my discretion. Sorry to those of you who do not receive a response, hopefully I will address your thoughts in a later post.