Time to Harvest the Corn

Photo from Sustainable Seed Company.  Click to go to their website, check out the wisdom around growing and eating heritage seed corn.

Photo from Sustainable Seed Company.  Click to go to their website, check out the wisdom around growing and eating heritage seed corn.

It is corn season!  Happy memories surround the late summer corn harvest: Mom coming home from the William's Family farm stand in Winthrop with an arm load of corn. We would put a ton of butter on a slice of bread and roll the hot corn cob over the bread, passing the bread around the table for everyone to use. After 5 people buttered their corn, the bread was warm with melted butter. The dilemma... who gets the amazing slice of butter bread?!

The Nutritional Benefits of Corn:

  1. Loaded with nutrients, anti-oxidants, and phyto-nutrients. Each variety of corn has its own amazing profile of nutrients.
  2. High fiber: good for digestion and elimination.
  3. High fiber and nutrient content creates a slow release of carbohydrates into the blood stream. This prevents blood sugar highs and lows.

This is a brief overview. There is so much information on the web about corn, its benefits, organic vs. conventionally grown, the GMO-ing of corn seed. Read up, interesting stuff what we humans do to the food supply....

Key to Buying Healthy Corn:

  1. Buy organic and avoid the pesticide laden corns grown by agri-business. Corn is not on the dirty dozen list but if corn is not organic, it is most likely GMO: meaning the pesticides have been genetically modified right into your corn for you. Ain't that just sweet!?
  2. So buy non-GMO corn as well.
  3. Know your farmers, ask them questions: what do you use for corn seed, is it GMO, what do you use for pesticides, etc. Ask questions because your health depends on it!

 

This recipe was whipped up by my older 'Sis. She brings it to family events and it gets devoured! Try it, it IS corn season!

 

Bean & Corn Salsa

1 can of each, drained and rinsed:   Organic Black Eyed Peas & Black beans

2 ears of organically-grown, non-GMO, sweet corn (gently steamed before cutting off kernels)

1 medium, organic, bell pepper, finely diced – any colors, red, green, orange, yellow – if using 2 colors, use ½ pepper of each color. Be brave, use multiple colors!

½ large, organic, red onion, finely diced or 1 medium and use the whole thing!

SAUCE

2/3 cup organic, extra virgin, olive oil.  (Can't I use my butter here?  : )  Please!)

1 cup organic, RAW, apple cider vinegar

½ cup organic, sucanat (Sucanat is unrefined sugar, or you can use 1/4 cup local maple syrup or 1/4 cup local. raw honey. I would probably use less of any of these sweeteners.)

3 Tbsp. favorite organic hot sauce – increase hot sauce for more kick

Optional: 

·        add a Tbsp., or 2, of Dinosaur Spice Rub (Cajun Foreplay)

·        mix it up, use more & different types of beans – try adding Kidney, Navy, Pinto, Aduki, and/ or Garbanzo

·        adjust/increase the amount of sauce when adding more beans and making a bigger batch

 

Combine sauce ingredients and mix well.  Add all beans and veggies and mix gently.  Marinate at room temp, at least overnight.  Do not refrigerate to marinate, as the olive oil will solidify in the cold temperature.

To keep salsa longer in refrigerator (if there’s any leftover), store salsa covered and drain most of sauce.  This helps to keep the salsa longer and reduces calories from the oil.

Serve salsa with organic, non-GMO corn tortilla chips, or try on top of an organic, fresh green salad, or in a sandwich wrap (use a 100% whole grain wrap, Food For Life has an amazing sprouted grain wrap that I highly recommend!).

Eat and enjoy people!  Enjoy the health benefits of real corn, real food!

Eat Several Small Meals A Day... or not?

Are you a grazer like this sweet "lil goat? Aradia is quite sweet as well!

 

I do not agree with this current health trend, health advice.  

Now I will tell you, as always... figure out what works for you, in your life, so you feel your very best, vibrant self every day.

So back to the several small meals a day advice... that I do not agree with, my diet myth buster:

Why?

1.  If a person struggles with over eating, this only gives license to over eat more times in a day.

2.  If one eats well balanced meals:  fruits and veggies (fruit in am, veggies with lunch & dinner), quality protein, and quality fat... you will be well satiated for a good 4 to 5 hours.  No need to snack or eat several small meals in a day.

3.  Eating several small meals trains your blood sugar to want to be "up."  When we get used to meals that sustain us comfortably, without overeating, our bodies get used to feeling gently full and then feeling empty, gently empty.  Empty is good.  Revel in this feeling as you innately know you are not going to starve if you feel hungry for a while.  We live in a culture with ample food. Pick 100% whole foods to fill yourself at meals.

4.  Eating constantly will leave you feeling hungry all the time.  It is the blood sugar is "up" constantly issue.  Once your blood sugar goes down, even just a little, this triggers the "Oh my, I am hungry"  feeling again. Feeling empty is ok.

5.  If you constantly are giving your body fuel, calories, when will it have a chance to go into fat burning and use up your stored fat calories?

6.  Do you really want to spend all your time preparing food and doing dishes?

7.  The digestive tract needs rest.  If you eat every 2-3 hours, it never gets a rest. Your digestive tract will always be working to digest and eliminate food. Would you want to be working your skeletal muscles constantly, no rest, no sleep?

This is my thoughts, using common sense and wisdom gained from years around food and as an eater myself! Use this in any way that works for you and makes your life a better place to be!

Cheers & Blessings!  Paula

Change is Empowering

Change can be easy, change can be difficult.  It is all in the way you approach change.

New Year's resolutions are not something I recommend.  They are usually "plans" made in desperation or out of guilt.  Not exactly the energy needed to be behind real life empowering change.

Real change is powerful.  It has to come from the heart, mind, and soul.  

I can suggest everything you need to do to change your life, lose weight, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and teach you habits that will invoke the self healing of your body. 

Change will happen only when you want it to happen and you make it happen.

Instead of making resolutions at the eve or dawn of a new year, well because, you know something has got to give... how about finding what fires your passion and allow yourself to metamorphosis into the healing being you already are.  

Make lifetime lifestyle resolutions.  Create the change you want to see happen in you.  Be the change, the healing energy, you innately are.

Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease. Hippocrates