Category: Health

Sunday Feast

On By HanneIn Food, Health, Sunday Feast2 Comments

This isn’t the first time I’ve posted about this recipe, but since it’s the first time I’ve cooked in weeks, I thought I’d share it again.

With having been sick for so long, making anything with more work than poppingbread in the toaster or heating up kelp noodles with pesto in the microwave, the effort just wasn’t worth it. I’ve finally finished my prednisone (can my voice come back now? thx), I’ve been starting to feel better. Still tired, slow and my back/ribs are on fire, but it’s been forever since I’ve created anything in the kitchenand I was feeling inspired.

Roast chicken with lemon, onions and croutons is my go-to recipe for an easy, filling and relatively healthy photo 11meal. The ingredients are simple: a whole chicken, 2 lemons, 2 onions (sweet in this case, though I’ve used yellow and red), 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, salt/pepper, a nice loaf of bread (I used a rosemary sourdough) and plenty of olive oil.

I washed the chicken first and empty the guts (ew, who uses the neck and whatever other goodies they stuff inside?) and then pat the chicken dry. Sprinkle the inside with a bit of salt and pepper and then stuff it with lemon wedges. Brush the butter over the dry chicken and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. I don’t eat more than a bite of the skin (*trying* to be healthy), but the salt and pepper creates a nice crust that I then brush off onto the meat and onions – gives it a nice bit of spice. Then spread the onions all around the chicken and put in the oven at 425F for 1hr 15 min.

photo 3Then, just before the chicken is done, I start with the bread. Chop it into large chunks and put in a frying pan with plenty of olive oil. Cook on med-high to toast the bread, adding more oil as needed. This recipe is absolutely, without a doubt, one of my favorites. It smells great long before it’s done, and it doesn’t disappoint. Squeezing the lemon juice from the cooked wedges over the croutons adds a nice little zing.

Does anyone have any chicken recipes to share? I don’t do a lot of red meat (pork, beef), and it seems like there are a billion different ways to cook chicken. What’s your favorite?

Thursday Thrills

On By HanneIn Health, Stress, Thursday Thrills2 Comments

Today’s thrill was hardly new, but it’s the only ‘thrill’ I’ve had for several days. In an attempt to beat whatever this is, I’ve reached out to just about any possible method – from the regular doctor, herbal remedies (side note, Oregano oil has helped the most), drinking more water than would be recommended and today – acupuncture.

I have a very love-hate relationship with the process. Most people know my fear of needles and would assume I’d never step foot willingly into an acupuncture clinic, but for someone that has a specific process (that must be followed) for a simple blood draw, I’m surprisingly good at getting needled. My palms get a little sweaty and my legs a little tense, but once the needles are situated, I’m good for a nice nap.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of the needles being inserted. Some you don’t feel at all – maybe a slight shift in cells. Others are more of a quick electric shock (I know, I touched the electric fence). Some are a little sharp as they go in, the sensation fading in a quick instant, and others burn until the needles is ‘backed off’ with a slight twist. On the rare occasion, I can’t relax with it in and the acupuncturist will remove it and try again or just leave it out.

I know a lot of people are skeptical about how effective acupuncture can be. I’m pretty convinced.

While I sound horrible (kinda like Badger from Breaking Bad), but my cough has steadily improved. I went all day without cough syrup today and with the exception of an occasional cough, I was doing pretty well. Once the needles were in, Amanda, my acupuncturist, left me for my nap. In the world of community acupuncture, you can take as long as you need. Sometimes I’m there for 45 minutes and other times my nap lasts two hours.  I was just settling in when it was like I suddenly had a feather tickling the back of my throat – uncontrollable coughing. She came back with a cough drop, said it was common for that to happen once things started moving. When the cough drop didn’t work, she brought me a glass of water. When that didn’t work, she pulled out one of the needles and the coughing stopped immediately. Amazing.

She also gave me a little cough medicine ‘to go’ in the from of two acupressure beads – teeny, tiny little fingerbeads taped to my pinky fingers. When I start to cough,  I massage the little beads and then the urge goes away.

I anticipate some good sleep tonight – I didn’t get the chance to nap during my appointment. The other half of this coughing business is the back/rib pain. I went to the chiropractor yesterdayand that helped, but today I woke with a massive knot right in the middle of my back. I stretched and twisted and…. I managed to find a massage clinic that could fit me inright after my acupuncture appointment. I still have a giant knot, though a little less painful, and I’ll see my regular massage person next week. So to end today’s thrill, I’ll curl up with a heat pack and maybe some tea, and hopefully cough/hurt a little less and sleep a little more.

I do my best proofreading after I hit send.

On By HanneIn Food, Health3 Comments

I follow (sometimes, more of binge-read 20 posts and forget about it for two months) a great blog about living frugally – mostly done by growing your own food. It’s a fun blog, the writer is semi-local (Gig Harbor area) and has chickens in her backyard. So while most of the recipes and ideas are healthy/organic, she’s not super strict about it – she’s more focused on getting a good deal. Which is fine, whatever. But I was going over the comment section (omg, ‘internet don’t 101)and someone commented on some nonorganic/health food stuff. Basically, she said she disagreed with something, gave her reasons and went on her way. The comment/reasoning were fineand she wasn’t rude. But all the replies to her comment were horrible! I don’t claim to eat perfect (because I don’t), but these people attacking her for eating as cleanly as possible were almost comical. Except they weren’t because they were adamant that GMO’s are fineand if we weren’t meant to eat chemicals sometimes, it wouldn’t taste good and blah blah blah…

So I wrote up a great response, limited the snark and went with a couple facts and clicked submit and…. Oh. My. God. Is that ‘there’ instead of ‘their’? Luckily I caught it quickly and clicked edit before my comment could be posted (all comments are moderated anyway), but there is no sure-fire way to make less of a point or appear uneducated than to use the wrong form of there/their or two/too/to or anything similar.

Whew.

Anyway, I’ve been awful at this blogging crap, despite my 30 before 30 goals to blog regularly. I’ve been sick for forever, but finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully not a train). I have a doctors appointment Wednesday, so I’m looking forward to that. Unless needles are involved. Then I might be looking forward to it a little less.

 Being sicks means I’ve not cooked much lately. But my latest adventure in the    kitchen came in the form photoof scallops. The first time I tried a scallop (that I  remember) was last falland it was delicious. It was part of an appetizer and much better than I expected. I didn’t give it much thought until I was wandering Whole  Foods looking for something different protein-wise compared to my standard chicken. Not that there is anything wrong with one of the eleventy-billion ways I cook chicken, but I can’t have chicken 365, can I? And I’ve never been great at cooking Salmon (another fav) – either over or under cooking it. So I decided to give scallops a try. The guy behind the counter was great and gave me several tips – both for the scallops and for a ‘sauce’. Let me start by saying that I royally fucked up the sauce. Like, blackened/burned garlic mush. But the scallops ended up seared to perfection. I added them to some arugula and goat cheese and then tossed with a dressing of lemon juice, honey, olive oil and garlic.qq

For the scallops I used a cast iron pan. I heated it to med-highand once the pan was hot I added a bit of olive oil and butter and after a quick pat withpaper towel, I added the scallops. I cooked them for a short 90 seconds per side (and by short, I mean that I counted to 90 quicker than one one-thousand, two…). They were tender enough for my fork to slice through, but just seared enough to have a bit of a crusted edge. While they certainly aren’t cheap – Whole Foods sells them for $23.99 a pound and Fred Meyer’s sells them for $18.99 a pound,  four run me about $8 – they are a great alternative for something healthy, low calorie and fairly good for you. Except the butter that I cooked them in, but it wasn’t much. So if  you’re looking for something different and delicious give them a try! But be careful, 10-15 seconds can make a difference between seared to perfection and over-cooked.

** Edited because I didn’t proof-read until I posted. Ugh. Lesson not learned.

“And falling’s just another way to fly.” ― Emilie Autumn

On By HanneIn Health, Stress, TravelLeave a comment

I fell down the last three steps into the basement yesterday.
(see above ^^)

I’ve been sick the past few days, but finally managed to collect myself enough to help out around the house – pfft, that’s what I get for trying to help. I was carrying some dead flowers down to take them to the yard waste. Not sure what happened, but all I remember is the longest fall ever (srsly, in slow-motion). Slammed my left knee into the cement floor and banging into the cabinet at the base of the stairs. I’m not too bad today considering all the various possible outcomes. A little stiff, and my left knee is sore to the touch, but otherwise it’s mostly my ego. And the fact that I probably inhaled a royal shit ton of glitter (also from the flowers) and dead/dried leaves that crumbled at the touch. I mean, really? Ready to go to bed – wake me when Feb. is over.

Struggling with the fact that I have zero vacation planned for 2014. With the trip to Denmark being pushed to *next* year, and Cait unable to drive to OKC for MH14 – I don’t even know how I’ll last the year. I could drive on my own, but at 20 years old, I think my Camry has seen it’s last Epic Roadtrip(tm). Also, a 3+ week road trip isn’t really in the bank account when I’m looking to replace my Camry baby at the end of the year.

With rumblings of MH14 on twitter, I’ve toyed with the idea of flying in for a long weekend. I would hate not having the use of my car – having to either rent or rely on friends for a ride. Cait and I got separated from the group last year during the Tornado fiasco… they knew we had a ride, so it wasn’t as big of a deal, but to go through that again and wonder how to get back to a hotel 40 minutes away during a natural disaster is enough to make my stomach churn.  Thinking of MH14, I would of course love to go and, as always, chat with my favorite celebrity, and spend time with the many friends I’ve made over the past 3 years. But I also feel drawn back to Oklahoma. Sort of a ‘back up on the horse’ after falling off – or in my case, sitting through a tornado. #needagoodadventue

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. ~Irish Proverb

On By HanneIn Food, Health4 Comments

when_b5bf5b_2684102Ever since that round of pneumonia back in July, I’ve been teetering on the edge of being sick again. I get a few good nights sleep and feel better for a bit. Then I fall behind again and start to cough more and blah blah blah.

I’ve come down with a cold again, and while a good, long night’s sleep has done wonders for how I feel, I’m still congested. So rather than do any cooking this week, I made myself a large pot of chicken stock. With the amount of delicious, healthy things I added, I should be feeling tops again in no time.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
2 large onionssoup1 bunch of celery
3 large carrots
1 bunch of Italian Kale
1 2″ section of ginger
1 whole head of garlic, cut in half
A bundle of fresh Rosemary, Thyme, Sage and a bay leaf.
2 TBS of apple cider vinegar.
Fill to cover with water.

Salt & pepper to taste as well as some parsley toward the end.

I let it simmer for about 2.5 hours. And Yum.

Now I have more chicken stock than I know what to do with.

a time to be thankful…

On By HanneIn Health, Stress, UpdateLeave a comment

The past few months since I posted, I’ve really struggled with my health. While I didn’t do too bad on the antibiotics, it completely destroyed my immune system and I’ve been struggling with respiratory crap since July. I ended up back on antibiotics for 7 days earlier this month, and while I’m not coughing much anymore, I’m *still* congested. Ugh. Being sick pretty much for 5 months straight has left me feeling blah, uninspired and just… down.

imagesBut I also realized that while life has been a bitch for the second half of 2013, there are people out there that have it much, much worse. Sure I’ve been on some hard core meds over the course of those five months – but at least I can afford it (even if it pains me to pay for it). So over the past few weeks and over the course of the next few weeks until Christmas, I’m trying to focus on helping those that are having a hard time. And I’m having a good time doing it.

A week or so ago, I took my little buddy Evan for an ‘adventure’ (we go on ‘adventures’ rather than errands, because really… what sounds more fun?) to the grocery store to do a big shop for the Northwest Harvest food drive the radio was doing. We went up and down almost every aisle* looking for stuff on sale to maximize what I was spending and also for stuff a little different than the basic canned tuna, peanut butter, and pasta. I wish I had the link for a blog article I stumbled upon awhile back. Basically, a woman overheard a comment directed toward someone who was donating a couple jars of Greek olives, and something else considered ‘fancy’ and how the people at the food bank wouldn’t know what to do with those items. The woman writing the blog had been on assistance at one timeand while she wasn’t a chef, she could pull together some good meals out of various ingredients and *loved* to find different things at the food bank. Now she’s got a good job, writes a column, etc and likes to donate items that aren’t traditional to give a little variety.  So I tried to get a mix of basic items (because buying rice, pasta, etc. For me it was a trip to the grocery store. For Evan it was a chance to point out the things he knew, a chance to practice colors, and best of all (in his eyes) he got to put everything in the cart for me (he loves to be a helper).

Another way I’ve tried to boost the holiday cheer, is by getting a head start on my Christmas cards. Costco had a great deal on personalized cards, so I got a bunch and have been getting those started (big batch to go out this weekend). For those of you also doing Christmas cards, consider sending a card to a service member through Holiday mail for Heroes. The deadline is Dec. 6th, so if you’re lazing around this weekend with a belly full of Turkey, consider writing a few Christmas cards.

As most probably saw on FB, I didn’t get the grant that I applied for back in May. It’s not a surprise, but at the same time, it’s a big let down. I had big plans for that, and while not getting it this time around certainly won’t stop me, it’s put a big kink in my plans and it still hurts. I’m just going to take a little time over the holidays to not think about it (I’ve got enough going on already) and then time to dust off and keep moving forward.

Will try to keep this updated a bit more than once every 4 months.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

*My goal in life is to spell the word ‘aisle’ correct without having to let spell check fix it for me. Ugh.

“Your body hears everything your mind says.” – Naomi Judd

On By HanneIn Food, Health3 Comments

This was originally a facebook post that started to get long so I decided to post here instead – hooray for using my blog for more than one vacation a year!

Someone on facebook posted this article: The Undeniable Facts about the safety of Diet Coke.

I skimmed the article at first, picked up the basics of ‘yeah yeah, don’t judge people by what they eat, personal choice, etc etc.’ Sure, I’m not perfect with what I IMG_1496eat/drink (hello, I spent the 4th of July trying to recreate one of my favorite cocktails from a bar in Oklahoma*), but I do try to make good choices, and I’m slowly getting better at it. And I’ll agree that we spend far too much time judging others for every little thing they do, rather than working to make ourselves better.

But then I read the article again and I started to get a headache as I pieced together the general thought/idea of the post.

The author writes: “I don’t know if you’ve ever bothered to talk to someone who’s really old and had to do some of that live-off-the-land stuff, but you ask them if they want to go back to doing things by hand and they, like my grandma told me once when I asked if she missed the “good old days”, are probably going to come out in favor of automatic dishwashers, cake mixes, and Crisco. It’s called progress, because it is.”

…and pretty much uses it to justify why she enjoys a can of Diet Coke – carbonated water, colour (caramel E150d), sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame-K), flavourings (including caffeine), phosphoric acid, citric acid.

How you even jump from automatic dishwashers to diet coke? And how is that progress?

Everyone is entitled to enjoy whatever (and we’ll all deal with the consequences when/if they happen), but how is it ‘progress’ to enjoy a can of chemicals and essentially make a mockery of people trying to eat healthily?  “It ends up being an us-against-them battle waged against supermarkets, farmers, and anyone not making that gross runny organic yogurt that makes me throw up in my mouth…”

It then goes to fear. “Out of the fear industry, many things have developed. Like foodbeing afraid of our food.” Well, maybe we should be. Look at these common foods/brands. Living in Denmark, I found most of these things on the shelves at the grocery store, but did you know that they have to be reformulated to be able to sell them overseas? Because stuff in the American versions is banned due to health concerns. And it all tastes the same too. So it’s not good enough for Europeans, but it’s fine for us? Remind me who has a higher rate of pretty much everything deadly? Oh, right. #murica

She continues into making it a poverty thing… is she ‘too good’ for the ‘regular stuff’ because she can afford the good stuff while poor people digging through dumpsters in Nicaragua don’t have enough to eat? She feels so bad, she has to pick the pile of non-organic strawberries that she finds at the grocery store instead? How about saying,’wow… that sucks to be poor in Nicaragua, but I’m gonna support those local, organic places because I can, and hope the whole trend picks up so that more and more will be organic and not come with built in pesticide. Maybe costs will come down and yeah… HEALTH FOR EVERYONE!’

“How does it work, that having a bountiful supply of food before me is seen as the enemy instead of a blessing?” Um… because last I checked, a can of chemicals isn’t food. That’s how that works.

Dear Julie (the author),IMG_1378
I get that you’re all about ‘things in moderation’and ‘don’t judge’ (because we shouldn’t), and that you support healthy eating too, but the article just comes across as so snarky and defensive over your poor habit. Those friends you mentioned? The ones to point out the negatives of your coke? Did you maybe think that they bring those things up because they care about you? Your article is embarrassing and so misinformed. But sure… enjoy your diet coke.

Oh, and those people that grew up living off the land..? The people that pay extra for organic produce? They know what a real tomato tastes like.

 

 

*The Flint Martini – Sailor Jerry Rum, Passion Fruit Juice, Cranberry juice and Serrano pepper. You’re welcome.