Pesto In December?!

I had vowed never to be a 3 store grocery shopper but trying to follow a budget and feed my family with fresh and organic food, quickly changed that thought! I found myself embracing 3 and sometimes 4 places to purchase interesting foods. This week while at BJ's - my first stop of the week to purchase some organic veggies, grass fed bison and other organic meats, large bags of organic tortilla chips - there was organic fresh parsley and basil. I could not resist to purchase them and to plan a family meal with my version of pesto. I have found that many of these delicious sauces are very dense in fat/oil and this not only is very caloric, but can feel heavy on the digestion. I have experimented over the years using chicken broth to make up part of the liquid volume in many of these sauces. This lighter sauce can be used over pasta, grilled chicken breast, as a salad topper or even to top a baked potato! Try this version and reap the benefits of amazing herbs and the monounsaturated, heart-healthy olive oil. I use organic ingredients. Julie's Pesto: 2 tbl olive oil 3/4 cup plus 2 tbl organic chicken broth 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1-2 garlic cloves 2 cups fresh basil leaves 2 tbl pine nuts or walnuts Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Store in covered container in refrigerator Bon Appetit! Julie

The Thanksgiving Plate and A Yummy Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cheesecake

Once November comes around, the focus of nutrition counseling becomes damage control, reality checking and enjoyment - sometimes a challenging concept! Thanksgiving being the first of the holidays and one of the biggest feast days, is a great place to begin. I use the template of visualizing the plate 1/2-full of veggies, 1/4 protein (about 4-6 ounces) and1/4 starch (1/2-3/4 cup cooked grains/starches). Since many of the favorite foods are high in carbohydrate, it becomes an activity of choosing what to have and how to fill in the 1/4 plate. The starchy carbs include potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls and most of the desserts. It may be wise to take tablespoon portions of all the favorites or to pick the most important foods that one enjoys. Always be sure to fill 1/2 the plate with non-starchy veggies such as green beans almondine or oven roasted Brussels sprouts, accompanied by a good portion of turkey. Starting the day off on the right foot is so very important. Always have a good protein meal to be full for a long time, such as ham and eggs with a slice of whole grain bread. Muffins and bagels just won't work, as the excessive carbs will cause a crash of energy. When it come to dessert, consider having it a few hours later as the snack and again, balancing some protein and good fat along with carb, will make the treat satisfying not only for the palette, but also for staying full. Try this recipe that I created as a low glycemic option that tastes great! Pumpkin Cheesecake 1# lowfat cream cheese 2 eggs 3 packets stevia 1 tbl vanilla extract 1 cup crushed graham crackers or ginger snaps 2 tbl melted butter or coconut oil 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 1 tsp pumpkin spice Mix together the cream cheese, eggs, stevia and vanilla Press the crushed crackers with the butter/coconut oil into 8" pie plate Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust Mix the pumpkin puree and spice together and swirl into the cheese mixture Bake 350 for 25 minutes Bon Appetit! Julie

"Potty" Training and Retraining

I see many patients in my office with gastrointestinal issues and at the same time, have been dealing with my own set of IBS/candida/bacterial overgrowth issues, secondary to the type of cancer that I have. While it can help to understand others' suffering, it sure has not been a fun time! In my own personal work, I have certainly attended to the obvious dietary adjustments - no sugar, good fiber, probiotics, antifungal supplements - and yet, my reflexologist and other energy workers, see constipation throughout - meaning that there are habits and ways of being that I am having a hard time letting go of. How interesting a concept! If one thinks of the chakras, energy systems in the body, the second and third chakras have to do with being safe and secure, as well as relaxed with oneself and surroundings, and being able to digest and assimilate nutrients and new information. While pondering this concept, I immediately thought of how proud my Mom was that I was "potty trained" by the age of 2! I recall her telling me that we were moving into a house and she wanted this done and over with before the move. Wow - what pressure for a toddler's body, as well as brain - and yet, this was not an uncommon expectation for those growing up in my era. I learned at a very young age to hold things in and not let go. It now makes so much sense to me. This holding pattern is so well ingrained on the anatomical level as well as the emotional level, but at least with awareness, these traits can be transformed into healthy patterns. I will bring this awareness into my practice with my patients and see how the combination of functional medicine - the diet, supplements, relaxation - along with identifying early life experiences, brings hopefully a more complete healing. To be continued. . .

Visting The Mount

It has been a little over a month since my Mom died and I decided to take my Dad and daughter to visit a lifelong friend, Fr Steve. Fr Steve or his religious name, Fr. Emmanuel, has been an amazing support, an open-minded theological expert, whose life's work has been to bring people of all faiths and spiritual orientations together as "one". This theme speaks volumes to me, as I practice this philosophy in my personal life as well as with my clients. The mount is Graymoor, a full mountain devoted to caring for the poor, the addicted and those with emotional concerns. Graymoor is nestled in the Peekskill Mountains of Garrison, New York. At the base of the mount, the sisters tend people providing seminars, reiki, massage, and when I was a child, they baked fresh Irish Soda bread and sold it for the use of providing programs for those in need. Further up the hill, the brothers tended the farms and worked in the hospital with folks who struggled with addictions. While farming is no longer part of the work, the infirmary is still quite active. As my daughter and I climbed from top to bottom to the top again, we not only had an amazing cardio workout, but had a breath-taking view of the Hudson Valley. This was a spiritually uplifting experience, combined with awesome discussions with Fr. Steve about his open-heart for fostering the spiritual nature of all. For my Dad, this was an opportunity to go back to a place of familiarity - in fact 60+ years of visits - also an opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends. What is the message here? Find what brings you to your core self - the attributes that are important in your life; how to get in touch with those attributes and then to bring them forth. For me and many, being in nature calms the mind, creating an allowance for focus on the inner self. Knowing your inner self will allow you to bring forth your gifts. Now, go forth! Peace and blessings, Julie

The Anniversary

It's been a month since my last post. This has been a month of transition, of pondering, of disbelief, of reality. On Oct 13, my Mom passed away. As I write this, there is still a part of me that really does not comprehend those words. She passed peacefully at the hospital with my Dad, my two daughters and my older daughter's boyfriend, all surrounding her with love, prayers and last conversations. As I've mentioned in other posts, my Mom had been ill for about 1 1/2 years, but especially challenged since being on dialysis 10 months ago. There have been very important correlations between my mother's illness and my own. The day that my Mom went into the hospital for the first time, was the very day that I got my diagnosis of hairy cell leukemis. And from then on, when my Mom was having a complication, I often had a similar medical issue going on - digestive issues that required exploration/surgery, extremely low blood pressure, very low iron that required a transfusion for my Mom and almost required the same for me. It became a bit beyond coincidental for these occasions. During these past 3-4 months as these occasions increased, I chose to seek assistance with a healer who specializes in family constellation therapy. This proved to be very enlightening and brought me great compassion for those parts of my Mom that I struggled with. As with all us parents, we have our loving and amazing qualities, as well as those parts better known as the "shadow side". I have personally done a lot of work on accepting and integrating my shadow side and what a liberating feeling! How nice it is to learn to love all of who we are without having to hide those parts that are less appealing. It remains a work in progress! By learning more about my lineage - my Mom, her siblings, parents, grand-parents - I felt not only a deeper connection with my Mom, but an ability to become less enmeshed and more of my own person. During the few weeks prior to her death, we had amazing talks. I was able to share deep feelings with her that I had been too embarrassed to talk about - to be able to show my vulnerability, to cry with her, to massage her back, legs and feet, to hug her closely as if she were now mine. Since my Mom's passing, I have been very open to listening to messages that she is sending me, to pay attention to the important details in life. I am able to see more clearly that my Mom gave me life in her passing. In her wisdom toward the end, she told me how important it would be for me to take care of myself, to get rest and not feel guilty about not being there all the time. The past year was challenging because there were times that I could not go into the hospital due to my own low blood counts, and times that I was so tired, but would make the trip 1 1/2 hours each way to visit. I feel even more conviction that I will heal my cancer - I learn from it every day! With love and blessings for all, Julie

The Migraine - Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Aspects

Well, I missed my Tuesday blog, partly due to having a migraine and needing to conserve my energy to stay focused on my work for the day. I've had migraines since my late adolescence and have learned much about the physical and emotional triggers that can cause these miserable headaches. I've searched the food sensitivity theories, lack of magnesium, hormones, too little sleep, stress, alcohol, perfumes, light etc. It seems that just as I think I have it figured out, I realize that I have more to learn or to catch on more quickly. Being in the health science arena, I usually begin looking there first, but I also have my feet in the "other world" as well - that which is unseen, but is just as real. I met with my colleague a few years ago, Susan, whose specialty is spiritual counseling. She has a doctorate in divinity and can speak to any spiritual affiliation or to those with no spiritual identity. As Susan carefully listened to my story, she not only acknowledged my hormonal abnormalities, but she also observed that I had some unresolved feelings that I did not express - feeling angry yet unworthy to express any negative feelings. All of s sudden, the light bulb went on. I had been conditioned as a child to never show angry feelings. I grew up during the era when "good girls are to be seen and not heard." As a result, I learned to avoid conflict as much as possible, even when I felt upset by something. It has been a few months since my last migraine which is such a great improvement. I had had monthly migraines, sometimes every few weeks, for years and the duration is generally five days of feeling pretty lousy. I decided to look at not only my hormonal relationship, food triggers and other environmental triggers, but at the emotions that I have been experiencing. Sure enough, I found some areas where I had suppressed my feelings. I decided this time to use my voice, speaking my truth, with kindness and compassion. To digress just a bit, but tie this to the theme of this blog, I usually use reiki energy on my throat chakra on a daily basis. Reiki is an ancient tool used to focus energy to particular areas of the body that need healing and clearing. I chose the throat and heart chakras as part of my daily preparation in order to be at my best when working with my patients. Now, I needed to clear the throat chakra for me - to feel worthy of expressing my feelings, whether positive or negative, in a loving and compassionate manner. For me, as for many, I also find an increase in magnesium makes a big difference in my headaches. Magnesium is known as nature's calming mineral. Magnesium citrate, taurate and glycinate are the best forms for supplements used in treating headaches, muscle tightness and digestive issues that can accompany migraines, but there are many foods that are also wonderful sources of this nutrient. See the following list of foods rich in magnesium and remember that migraines are multidimensional, crossing into physical, emotional and spiritual areas. Foods that are good sources of magnesium are avocados, bananas, blackberries, guava, kiwi, pomegranate, raspberries, watermelon, artichokes, okra, peas, almonds, cashews, oats, wheat, beef, cheddar cheese and tuna.

Hearty Soups and Stews

Tis the season for having a warm cup or bowl of soup or stew. The air has a refreshing chill and warm foods are great for digestion. In fact foods and beverages are much better assimilated when warms or at least at room temperature. The beef stew recipe is a simulation of a stew that I had years ago at The New England Baptist Hospital cafeteria. I asked what was the "special ingredient" and was told it was basil. I went home to my food laboratory, the kitchen, and began the experiment. I think you'll enjoy this hearty stew. When I roast a chicken, I save the pan drippings, pull off the parts to be eaten and save the bones, wings, skin and some meat. All of this goes directly into the soup pot and the stock is started. There are many ways to make a chicken soup, but I like to get a few different meals from the roaster and also like to get the soup started while enjoying the chicken meal. I'm always thinking of efficiency when it comes to creating and preparing delicious and nutritious meals. Enjoy this soup with a baking powder biscuit or two! Hearty soups and stews Basic chicken soup 1 3# organic roasting chicken 2-3 celery stalks with leaves 1 onion 2 bay leaves ½ tsp marjoram ½ tsp thyme 3-4 carrots 1/3 cup brown rice or other grain Roast a chicken. Pull parts for meals etc, then put bones with leftover meat, skin and scrape the carmelized remains in the baking pan into a soup pot. Cover with water and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly before putting into refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator and skim fat, also remove skin from chicken and clear the meat from the bones. Add the meat back to the stock and bring to a boil. Add 1-2 bay leaves, marjoram, thyme and minced celery with leaves, as well as a sliced onion. Add 1/3 cup grain such as brown rice, millet, barley, buckwheat or a combination of all. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chopped carrots and cook for 15 minutes. Cool. Best served the next day, but can be served immediately. Beef stew 1# grass fed sirloin strip steak or sirloin tips, cubed Olive or canola pan spray Gluten-free flour or cornstarch 1 turnip 3-4 carrots 1 onion 2-3 stalks celery with leaves 1 tsp basil 1/3 cup brown rice or other whole grain Cube beef and toss with 1 tbl flour or cornstarch. Heat pan with pan spray and brown beef cubes with diced celery stalks and onion. Add water to cover with about 2” water. Bring to boil and add rice, basil and celery leaves, simmering for about 20 minutes. Add cubed turnip and carrots, bring to boil, reduce and cook for additional 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.