Aspire

Knives and Cutting Boards

For a functional kitchen and easy food preparation, one must have a good knife or several.  I have used many knives since beginning my journey into creative cooking.  I have tried the inexpensive knives from the big box stores and the very expensive knife kits from the internet.  I have a beautiful set of stainless knives which I never use, because they simply don’t cut well.  Years ago, my mother gave me a single knife made by Rada.  I used it and it cut wonderfully.  When it was time to wash it, I threw it in the dishwasher and the handle pitted and turned an ugly gray.  Since it was no longer pretty, I decided to use it as a utility knife and it served it’s purpose very well. My mother, of course, was disappointed in my choice of use of the knife.

Many years later, I found Rada knife sets at The Huntsville Pantry, in Huntsville, Arkansas.  I bought a couple of single knives and a sharpener.  These became my mainstay knives.  They keep their edge much longer than a usual knife, which is fantastic since I am often in a hurry and don’t have time to sharpen my knife prior to each use.  I hand wash them to keep them from tarnishing.  Of all of my knives from grandparents, birthday presents and trips, these are the knives that I go to every time.  I also found a cheese knife that makes cheese cutting a breeze and a potato peeler that maintains its sharpness.  I have bought sets for several of my friends and sisters with a selfish purpose in mind,  if I were to prepare food in their kitchen, I would have a good knife to use.

I also recommend a wooden cutting board, well several really.  A small one that is designated for cutting fruit only.  A medium or large one that can be used for cutting other vegetables.  The reason behind multiple is that if an onion or pepper has been cut on your cutting board, the oils and juices will permeate the wood and then if you cut a piece of fruit on the same board, your fruit will taste of the onion or the pepper.  This principle is the same for meat. You want to make sure that the board that you use to cut meat is not used to cut anything that you will eat raw.  When you are cutting potatoes or lots of vegetables or preparing a meal for many people, you may want a larger board, but the large board is cumbersome for everyday use.  I don’t recommend glass because it will dull your knives.  I don’t recommend plastic as your knife will cut it and you may add plastic to your food.  Also, after the first use it will host bacteria in the cracks formed by the knives.  Wood on the other hand, will not dull the knives as glass does and the wood comes from a tree which has been fighting bacteria and insects all its life and will continue to do so during its life as your cutting board. 9-21-14

2-27-14

“When all the world is a hopeless jumble and the raindrops tumble all around…Heaven opens a magic lane…” -Arlen

It has been a much colder winter than most of us are used to! A gloomy outlook has effected many of us. Several people have reported the desire to move to a more temperate location. For most of us, that is not a realistic possibility.

I have found that consuming coconut oil nourishes my skin, preventing dryness and allows me to have extra energy, without adding pounds. Quality is important, when looking for any oil. I choose Extra Virgin, Organic, and Cold Pressed. This can be found at your local health food store, online vitamin shops and even Sam’s Club. My favorite brand is Nutiva. This tag will save you $10 on your first order from iherb.com. http://www.iherb.com?rcode=HOL369

Hot baths can be very relaxing and soothing to our mind, body and soul. Moist heat is able to penetrate to a deeper layer than dry heat, such as heating pads, water bottles and the kind we use to heat our homes. I like to add two to four cups of Epsom salts and a few drops of lavender essential oil. The bath is a nice time to practice deep breathing, self massage and reflexology, affirmations and meditation. Be kind to your body, it houses your spirit and soul!

And last but definitely not least, Chocolate! The cacao bean is the flavorful and nutritional source for all chocolate products. It contains antioxidants, dietary fiber, magnesium, flavanols and polyhenols. Chololate has also been touted as a natural mood enhancer by increasing levels of serotonin. Keep in mind that sugar does the opposite, so you will want to choose a variety with the lowest sugar content and highest cacao content. My two favorite bars are XOXO Dark chocolate, sea salt and almonds (52% cacoa) and Endangered Species, Dark chocolate, sea salt and almonds (72%). You can also make your own using a raw, organic cacao powder (I use Navitas brand) and mixing with coconut oil or cacao butter and honey or stevia.

Hopefully these little tricks can help chase away the remainder of your winter blues. Spring is just around the corner! Indulge in your own self-care! You are worth it!

If any of you are reading this and are confused by the difference in the site, I apologize. The web designer is trying to help me work out a few issues and implement some new content for us all.

As the days shorten and the crickets chirp, I gladly announce that I will be graduating from The Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a Health Coach on September 10, 2014.  While this chapter of my life is closing, many new chapters will be opening.

For years, I have been reading and studying about alternative treatments, natural remedies and nutrition – just for fun. I have this plethora of random nutrition facts that I love to share and have been more generous with this knowledge than my family and friends care to hear.  My daughter used to say “Mom, stop reading!”, because every time I learned something enlightening, there would be a change in our household.    After realizing that the health care system consists of some of the unhealthiest people – physically, emotionally and spiritually, I wanted to become a health coach to assist people with taking charge of their own health and wellness instead of allowing the medical system to simply manage their sickness.  There is a quote – “No one cares about your health the way you should.”  Think about this – Doctors are busy – they have about 5 minutes per patient – how could they possibly care about your health the way it needs to be cared for?  We have one body to care for and one body to get us from infant to 100 years old.  Yes, replacements can happen, but they are never as good as the original.  “Love your neighbor as your self”, a paraphrase from Jesus Christ.  So many people hear the “love your neighbor “ part, but neglect the “ as your self” part.  We first have to love our selves before we can truly care for anyone else.  “Your health is your greatest wealth” a quote from Virgil.    To truly love your self, you must provide the care for your body, emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually, so it can get us to age 100 with joy and grace. 

How do we do this?

We receive so many massages for how to feel terrible about ourselves and that we need to spend more money on things we don’t need, to make us feel better, but purchases don’t create lasting joy or happiness.

In health coaching – we focus on balance and choices.  Each choice we make leads us to better health or away from it.

In a free health consultation, clients will discuss positive changes that they would like to see in their lives.  We then work together, step by step, to accomplish the positive changes such as – having more energy, feeling great about who they are and the way they look, fitting into clothes they never thought they could, stopping smoking, enjoying their last 20 years, finishing a warrior dash or mud run and the list goes on and on.  We look at the four main areas of life – career, exercise, spirituality and relationships.  If these are out of balance- it creates a drain on their life energy, leaving them unfulfilled.  Most of us try to fill this drain by what we put in our mouths – whether it be a donut, a bag of chips, a cigarette, a 5 dollar coffee drink or an alcoholic beverage – or several.

The problem is that these never fix the energetic drain.  With health coaching, the client is able to discover the real cause of the problem and find healthy solutions to take care of it.

In Health coaching, we also look at the diet and transition, in a step by step fashion, from the sugary, processed junk foods, fast foods and diet foods to real food and clean water.  Real food grows in the ground, on a vine, on a tree or was raised in humane conditions on pasture.   These are the foods that heal.  Hippocrates said “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine by thy food”. I don’t believe in using restriction or starvation diets, because every deprivation is followed by a binge.  One of the biggest predictors of weight gain is whether you have been on a diet within the past two years.  In health coaching, we look at the nutritional content of foods, so that you know which foods you can get the most nutrients for the calories, so you can actually eat without gaining weight.

If you are motivated to take charge of your health and take care of #1, contact me at 479-283-6507 to schedule your free health consultation!