Feed Your Fire

www.HandsOnHealthHH.com

Holistic Hugs & Peaceful Blessings!

Paula M. Youmell, RN, MS, CHC

Certified Holistic Health, Nutrition & Fitness Counselor

(315) 265-0961

"Just lift the corner of the clouds

and the sun is  ALWAYS shining!"                            

 Eli Schechter

Feed Your Fire

A fire only burns if you feed it fuel.

Put your heart and soul's fuel into positive self talk.  

Fun Food Focus  

Nettle Pesto

Gather handfuls of stinging nettle tops, those double leaves at the top of the stalks.

I leave them outside in a basket for 10 to 15 minutes to allow any bugs to escape unscathed.

Gently wash.  

Put in your blender with organic - extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, garlic (or wild leeks!) and some Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese.

Blend into a green frenzy of pureed pesto.

Enjoy on toast, fresh baked bread, pasta, or as a homemade pesto pizza.  (Make 100% whole grain choices, of course!)

If you decide to go the pizza route:  bake the crust until cooked, remove from oven and add pesto, topping and cheese.  Bake for 5 minutes more to melt the cheese, remove from oven and enjoy, very yummy!

Yummy Root Veggie Recipe, send out the roots & ring in the wild leeks!

Yesterday I was gifted with some beautiful parsnips, just pulled from the ground after a, well, not so long winter.  I gently steamed them in a small amount of water until they were tender.  Then I mashed and added butter and milk, like mashed potatoes.  

I had dug some wild leeks earlier in the day.  I cut the white root part into tiny pieces and mixed into the mashed parsnips.  Then I cut the green tops into tiny strips and stirred into the rest of the mashed mix.  

Served with feta cheese crumbled on top.

A delicious way to end the root veggie season and celebrate the return of early, wild leeks and spring.

Creating Tomorrow

www.HandsOnHealthHH.com

Holistic Hugs & Peaceful Blessings!

Paula M. Youmell, RN, MS, CHC

Certified Holistic Health, Nutrition & Fitness Counselor

(315) 265-0961

"Just lift the corner of the clouds and the sun is

ALWAYS shining!"                              Eli Schechter

Movement Magic

If you have an upstairs bathroom, use it instead of the downstairs one.  Going up and down the stairs adds a little movement to your day.  Before and after using the bathroom, do a few push ups and crunches.  This is a little tip from a client!

Sitting causes stagnation of all bodily processes.  Movement creates pure, biological magic right down to your cells!

http://bcove.me/fv9ekbyd   Reverse push ups for another fun way to get stronger!

Weeds, To Eat Or Not To Eat!

Spring Nettles poking out of my home garden plot,  Spring 2012

Weeds, to one person, are another's medicine!  

I love spring for the wonderful green plants shooting out of the earth around my home, in the woods and fields.  These plants remind me of the ever changing and newness of life, the bounty of good food right outside our doors and the nutritional value and healing properties of what many people consider weeds.  I personally await the spring's wild leeks, dandelion greens, first nettle shoots, plantain leaves, rhubarb shoots and so many more spring edibles.

These spring edibles awaken our taste buds, livers, digestive tracts and each and every body cell.  The incredible amount of nutrients in the plants adds to our nutritional stores and cleans our winter blood, liver and digestive tracts.  

What a relief to move away from my beloved winter root veggies (beets!) and begin incorporating our natural spring foods.

For some more wisdom around using herbs / plants as food: http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/blog/2013/10/19/medicinal-herbs-are-food

Dandelion greens and flowers; good for liver health!

Fun Food Focus

Spring Greens Soup

I gather several kinds of spring greens: dandelion, plantain, lambs quarters, nettles, mustard greens, sorrel, violets... the list goes on.  (Learn to identify them, pick and enjoy!)

I gently wash them, throw them in my blender with some raw goat's milk and wild leek shoots and leaves.  Blend into a puree and warm gently.

You can also saute' the wild leek, ever so gently, then toss in the green and saute' for 1-2 minutes before blending.

Easy greens to start with are dandelion, plantain, nettles and violets.

Another idea:  mix them in a salad with local, mixed baby greens - they should be available soon!  Dress with raw - apple cider vinegar, organic - extra virgin olive oil and a few dried spices.  Yummy!

Bonus information:  Check out Martin's Farm Stand website, you can pre-order your fresh, local, seasonal produce, on-line!  Cutting edge - local food access!

Whole Food / Whole Grain Doughnuts

Yummy doughnuts of whole grain rye, corn, spelt and oat flours.  

Whole Grain Buttermilk Doughnuts

2 eggs

½ cup unrefined, dehydrated cane juice sugar

1 cup buttermilk (add 1 tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar to 1 cup milk and let curdle 5 minutes)

¼ cup butter melted

1 tbsp. b. powder

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. nutmeg

4 cup whole grain flour (I use oat, rye, barley, buckwheat, corn, spelt, teff. Use small amounts of hearty grains like the rye and more of the oat, spelt, fine ground corn, etc.)

-in a large mixing bowl beat the eggs and sugar.  Stir in all other ingredients and mix well.

-cover dough and chill for about 1 hour

-shape dough into 2 balls and roll to ½ inch thickness.  Cut dough with doughnut cutter and put doughnuts on lightly greased cookie sheet until ready to fry

-heat lard or oil to 365F and maintain the temperature between 365-375F.   Too high burns, too low and doughnuts get fat soaked.

-carefully lift the doughnuts from the cookie sheet and put into hot oil.  Cook 3-4 at a time, no more.  Too many and they reduce the oil temp too much and makes for fat soaked doughnuts.

-doughnuts will sink and rise again.

-cook about 1 minute on each side, they will be golden brown.

-you can coat with cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, powdered sugar mixed with cocoa powder, or eat my favorite way, plain!

-ENJOY!!!

If you would like more personalized attention learning to bake whole food treats, please contact Paula Youmell to set up a Nutrition and Health Consultation.  She can be reached at the following contact information.  Enjoy radiant health today and every day!

Paula M. Youmell, RN, MS, CHC

Certified Holistic Health, Nutrition & Fitness Counselor

(315) 265-0961

pyoumell@gmail.com