The excerpts are a bit long, but the message is in the sum of these parts.  I hope by the end of the post these little snippets help to illustrate this simple joy in life.

Chapter 15: Workloads

Who’s the real workhorse in the family?

“In the midst of my drudgery, I look up and wonder where the good times went.  When I walked away from my career to create a family my colleagues kidded that I was “retiring to a life of cats and flowers.”  So true, so true.  And cat hair and pollen dust, fleas and weevils, stains and stink, sanitizing and deodorizing, boiling, wiping, scraping, scrubbing, loading, folding, mending, mounding, hounding, and work, work, work.”

…

“Often I feel the work is beneath me.  Often I feel like the work is beyond me.  It must be important to me to feel that way.  It must be important to me to think of my life as hard work and myself as a workhorse.  Sometimes it feels good to feel so bad; it feels hight to feel so low.”

…

“When you are scraping the crusted cereal from the wall with a chipped fingernail, do not think: For this I gave up a vice presidency. When you are folding a stack of late-night laundry, do not think: This is my sixth load this week and it’s only Monday.  When you stand over a sink of three-day-old dishes, do not think: When, oh when, will I ever catch up?  And while you’re at it, please don’t complain about the mindless nature of mother’s work.  The great transformative potential of a mother’s work is that it is mindless.  No thinking of any kind is required.”

…

“If you ever manage to stop working so hard, you might let your tired eyes alight on the real workhorse in the family.  It will surprise and delight you.

What children will accomplish from birth to age three is astounding.  Try not to overlook this most amazing teaching.  You’ll be inclined to, because children greet each day with glee and fearlessness.  Their instinctive joy does not mean that the work of a child is easy or discountable.  It does mean that life, as my teacher tried to tell me, is more fun than we sometimes make it.”

…

“Far more daunting, I believe, are the cognitive and behavioural skills on the syllabus.  Yes, it’s that “two” is terrible, but can you consider the course load for a minute?  Self-feeding, and table skills, language, emotional management, toilet training, and social etiquette, for starters.  And all occurring amid the frightening undertow towards separation and independence.  Throw in weaning, the big bed, and assorted other traumatic transitions such as a new sibling, babysitter, or preschool, whenever they enter the picture.  These kids are working in a coal mine!

And still your child will wake up each day, with only rare exceptions, beaming and eager.  Unburdened by the weight of things she has yet to do, your child is never overwhelmed and never under equipped.  There’s plenty of time for everything, even when there’s no tomorrow!”

…

“When you can do anything as though you work at nothing, you have the best days of your life”

Spring is in the air… and so is a whole lot of pollen!  With the arrival of really warm temperatures, we’ve seen the trees, grass and flowers bloom pretty rapidly, which bring about an earlier start to allergy season.

Pollen allergies consist of one or a combination of these symptoms:

- itchy nose, eyes, ears or throat

- itchy skin

- runny nose

- irritated, watery eyes

- sneezing, coughing

- congested nose

- sinus pressure and headaches

A person’s level of sensitivity, the number of different pollens they are allergic to, and their general state of health, will impact the severity of allergic symptoms.

In conventional medicine, over the counter allergy medications are usually recommended.  These can work for some people.  However, others may find they experience side effects or their body adapts to the medication, resulting in lower effectiveness.

There are many wonderful natural solutions to address allergies.  Often, a licensed Naturopathic Doctor would take a two pronged approach by recommending something natural to address the specific symptoms a person is experiencing, while working on a deeper level to help address the allergy itself and help to resolve it.

Part of my own experience with naturopathic medicine involves my ability to address my own allergies.  As a kid I had severe seasonal allergies.  From May to the first frost I would experience a variety of different allergy symptoms depending on what I was exposed to (freshly cut grass, ragweed in the fall, etc.).  My symptoms were so severe that I regularly visited with an Allergist from the age of about 5 until I was 13.  When I was about 8 or 9 I went for the typical “allergy shots” with the hope that it would help resolve my allergies.  I did this for 3 summers, with my allergies never wavering.  From an early age, I knew all the different allergy medications by heart… which ones worked for me and which ones didn’t.  Gosh, I remember how many fun outdoor summer occasions in my youth were dampened by my allergies.

I experienced allergies every spring and summer season into my 20s.  When I started my studies in Naturopathic Medicine I decided to start using natural solutions to address my allergy symptoms.  By that time, I felt that the amount of allergy medication I had taken over the years probably wasn’t the greatest for my liver.  I started out using homeopathic remedies to curb whatever I was experiencing at the time…a blocked nose here, an itchy throat there.  I was amazed at how effective they were.  This stuff was great!  For me, I found it to be as effective as the over the counter allergy medication I had used in the past.  From there, I kept working away at addressing some of the root causes for my allergies and by the time I graduated from the program my allergies had resolved.

I’m happy to say that I’m still allergy free!  Through my training, and my own history as an allergy sufferer, working with people who have allergies in my practice is something I am enthusiastic about because I know there are great options for treating allergies naturally.  The less medicine we find ourselves relying on, the better, especially for kids.

There are so many great options for treating allergies naturally.  Work with a licensed Naturopathic Doctor to find the solutions that are the best fit for you.

Tabouli is a dish that originates in middle eastern cuisine.  It’s a really healthy salad dish that loaded with nutrition.  It’s a great source of vitamin C, iron and minerals.  In addition to the health benefit, tabouli is a delicious salad.  This salad is simple to make and a fresh option for summer.

The recipe below is a gluten free option.  Classic tabouli is made with couscous, which is gluten containing.  However, couscous can be easily substituted with millet, quinoa or “rice” based couscous to make it gluten free.

Tabouli Salad

2 bunches of parsley

2 tomatoes

Juice from 4 lemons

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1/4 cup olive oil

sea salt

Prepare the quinoa first.  Boil 1 + 1/2 cups of water and add the quinoa.  Turn the heat to low and simmer with a lid on the pot until the water has evaporated and the quinoa is cooked and tender, not mushy.

While quinoa is cooking, prepare the veggies.  In a food processor with a “S” blade, or by hand with a knife, finely chop the parsley leaves (stems removed).  Chop tomatoes into small cubes.

Combine the quinoa, parsley and tomatoes.  Dress with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt to taste.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.  This salad always tastes even better the next day!

~ Martin Fraquhar Tupper

Ok… stand back… there is a frenzy happening over the latest issue of Time magazine.  Have you heard?  Or rather… seen?  It features a very polarizing picture of a woman breastfeeding her child with the heading “Are You Mom Enough?”  The featured article focuses on the ideals of attachment parenting.

This cover, and secondarily the article, has stirred up a lot of debate.

I really enjoyed an inspired piece written by Lisa Belkin for the Huffington Post.  She’s fired up, understandably. The best thing about this article is the plea to look past sensationalism, cast off labels and judgement, and find an opportunity for discussion about broader topics.

Check out Lisa Belkin’s article here:  No.  I Am Not Mom Enough.

Well said, Lisa, well said!

Kimchi is an asian cabbage dish that is incredibly healthy.  As I mentioned in my last WIN-ning Wednesday post about fermented food, Kimchi is a great source of vitamin C, iron, calcium and B vitamins.  Because traditionally prepared Kimchi is a “fermented food” it’s a super rich probiotic food.

It was a pleasant surprise to see a recent article in Dr. Mercola’s e-newsletter about the health benefits of fermented food.  It’s a really thorough and detailed review of the probiotic content and other nutritional highlights of fermented food.  You can read it here: This Food Contains 100 Times More Probiotics Than A Supplement.

Fermentation, or pickling, the Nappa cabbage used in kimchi is made possible by a naturally occurring “friendly” Lactobacillus bacteria on makes the surface of the nappa cabbage it’s home.  Once the ingredients are added to the cabbage, allowing the kimchi to sit for a couple of days in a cool place outside the fridge will ferment it and help the naturally occuring population of Lactobacillus on the Nappa to flourish and increase over time.

Kimchi has seemingly endless variations in the way it’s prepared.  There are “quick” (like 15 min.) Kimchi recipes, which may taste good, but do not have the probiotic yield that traditionally prepared kimchi does because it hasn’t gone through the fermentation process.  The recipe below is just one traditional variation.  Many recipes call for Korean red chilli pepper (aka gochujang) , but I was able to use regular red pepper flakes and it turned out great!

Here’s how it went down…

TRADITIONAL KIMCHI

10 cups water

1 large head of Nappa cabbage (or 2 small heads), washed and cut into 2 inch squares

1 cup sea salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped, or microplaned, garlic

1 tablespoon finely chopped, or microplaned, ginger

1/4 cup red pepper flakes (for those wanting less heat do 1/8 cup red pepper flakes + 1/8 cup paprika)

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons fish sauce (*optional… alternative could be soy sauce)

3 green onions, chopped into 1 inch lengths

My Name Is Brine

In a large ceramic bowl, or stainless steel pot, mix salt into water.  Add cabbage to salt water and weigh down with plates to submerge all the leaves.  Soak cabbage for 5-6 hours.

The Main Squeeze

Remove cabbage and rinse well with cold water.  Squeeze out excess liquid.

Fix The Temperature

In a large bowl mix together the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, honey and fish sauce.  Mix ingredients together to make a beautifully crimson paste.

Kimchi is meant to be spicy.  Lessen the red pepper flakes if wanting to reduce the heat intensity.

Here Comes The Heat

Add the cabbage, green onions and coat with seasoning mixture.  *Note… use two forks, or what ever utensil you feel would work best, to work the seasoning over the leaves and mix the ingredients together.  Using hands may cause a pleasant, but intense, burning sensation on the skin.

Ferment, Baby, Ferment

Pack the kimchi into a large airtight jar with a lid.  Leave a little room at the top of the jar… the kimchi will expand as it ferments.  Let ferment in a cool place, like a cold cellar, for 2-3 days before refrigerating.

Delish Kimchi Dish!

And… tada… A delicious pickled cabbage dish with this great kick of spicy heat.  Enjoy!

~ Corrie Ten Boom

Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Disease… aka GERD.  Many people, at some time or another, have experienced heartburn.  Heartburn usually occurs after a meal and it feels typically like a burning sensation in the chest.  For some people, this sensation can feel like its making its way up to the throat.  It’s a very uncomfortable feeling.  For some, the pain is sharp and can really disrupt their feeling of wellness for prolonged periods of time.

Chronic, or daily, heartburn has been classified in conventional medicine as GERD.  Needless to say, the conventional pharmaceutical industry has found a symptomatic treatment for GERD.  The pill treats the symptoms of heartburn.  For some people, when they stop taking the pill and the heartburn comes back.  Start the pill the heartburn goes away.  Stop the pill the heartburn comes back.  So… it ends up going like this… “Do I have to take this pill my entire life?”

Naturopathic Doctors have long had a number of really great solutions for improving stomach health.  We like to address the integrity of an organ system, through which we can improve it’s strength and function.  Rather than focus on disease, and treating a symptom, we focus on health and work on solutions.  Better strength and function equals resolution of symptoms.  After all, symptoms are just the red flag to alert us to something that’s not going as it should in the body.

People who experience GERD often respond very well to natural solutions for this concern.  Once a solution is tailored to address the root cause of an individual’s digestive issue, the issue can resolve and the individual can learn how to maintain their new found health through what they did to achieve it.

Here are some very effective solutions to address occasional, or minor, heartburn and chronic GERD.

1)  Nutrition

What-cha-ya eating?  Simple.  Easy.  Effective.  Most times, there is a food, or a combination of foods, in a person’s diet that just doesn’t agree with their system.  Naturopathic Doctors can work with people to figure out how to use their food as therapy to clear up the GERD.

2) Raw Unpasturized Apple Cider Vinegar

One teaspoon of raw unpasturized apple cider vinegar, mixed with a little water before a meal can help support the stomach’s role in food digestion.  If the stomach is digesting food properly and emptying food into the intestinal tract in a proper time period, there is less likely to be an issue with stomach related symptoms.

For those unsure about the flavour of this digestive before meals, a little honey can be added to it to make it go down easier.

3) Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are capsulated and help with food breakdown.  They can be found in almost any store that sells vitamins.  The quality of the digestive enzyme will really impact it’s effectiveness.  These can be taken with meals to help with food breakdown.

4) Aloe vera juice

Similar to digestive enzymes, aloe vera juice can be found where vitamins are sold.  In this form, aloe can help soothe the stomach and has been shown to be very effective at helping to heal stomach ulcers.

5) Okra Soup

An old school mentor of mine, who practiced in a southern US state, would prescribe okra soup for his patients suffering with heartburn or GERD.  He’d give them a recipe of a simple vegetable soup, to which okra would be added.  Okra is a green vegetable that is very easy to digest and has a slippery texture when cooked.  The phyotonutrients in the okra that make it slippery are also very soothing to the lining of the stomach.

Okra is sold in our grocery stores… it can be bought fresh at certain times in the year and is often available in the frozen food section.  This is a great way to use food as therapy for a health issue.

6) DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice)

DGL comes in chewable capsules or powder form and can be found at most health food stores.  It does taste like black licorice, so for anyone who’s not a fan, this is not for you.  However, DGL does also help to soothe the stomach lining and can significantly reduce inflammation in the stomach, and therefore, the sensation of burning.

7) Slippery Elm powder

Similar to okra, when slippery elm powder is mixed with water it becomes… well… slippery.  This can also coat the stomach and help to soothe an irritated stomach lining.

These are some great options… and there are many more natural solutions for stomach health and the treatment of GERD.  It’s always best to get guidance on which is the best fit by a professionally trained and skilled Naturopathic Doctor.  A Naturopathic Doctor can put a few strategies together including nutrition, natural remedies and/or other natural therapies based on a proper clinical evaluation.  For a tailored treatment plan that’s the right fit for you, visit with a licensed Naturopathic Doctor.

Today I was supposed to post my kimchi recipe… but seeing that things don’t always go as planned, I have to delay that post until next Monday.  Tune in to check out my recipe and my kimchi making experience.

For today’s actual recipe, I have a wonderful detour planned.  It’s my dairy free cream of broccoli soup.  I thought this soup up years ago when I was missing eating “cream of anything” soup.  The dairy in cream based soups can really upset some people’s stomachs, and for others, it can just be too heavy.

My dairy free variation uses pureed cauliflower as the “cream soup” base.  I’ve used this base to make cream of broccoli soup, as in today recipe, vegetable chowders and cream of mushroom soup.  Surprisingly, the cauliflower has a really neutral flavour once its blended and the soup takes on the flavour of what added to it.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s a double whammy of Brassica veggies in one dish.  It’s an easy, but different, way to get a good helping of cauliflower and broccoli.

Here’s the recipe…

Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup

2 heads of cauliflower, washed and chopped coarsely

1 head of broccoli, washed and chopped finely

water

veggie or chicken stock or almond milk (*optional)

sea salt

olive oil

Boil 2 heads of chopped cauliflower until very soft.  At the same time, boil the broccoli until tender crisp.

Strain cauliflower and puree in batches in a blender, with a little bit of water, veggie or chicken stock or almond milk if needed to assist the blending process going.  Using a stock will help give more flavour to the base, whereas using almond milk will make it richer and more cream-like.  The puree should be thick and smooth, not watery.

Pour the pureed cauliflower back into a large soup pot.  A little at a time, stir in water, veggie or chicken stock or almond milk and continue to add and stir until the soup is at a consistency that is preferred.   The more liquid that is added the thinner the cream soup.  For a thicker soup, use less liquid.

Strain the cooked broccoli pieces and stir them into the cauliflower cream base.  Simmer all together until the soup is throughly heated.

Season with sea salt to taste.  Drizzle a swirl of olive oil on top and stir in.

Enjoy!

Additional flavours:  this can be jazzed up further by using other spices and flavours.  In a separate pan, a little garlic and onions can be browned and then added to the blender at the time the cauliflower is pureed.  Powdered sage and/or thyme could also be added to give the soup a savoury spice up.  Black pepper can be added to give the soup some kick.  Finally, curry powder and cauliflower are a match made in heaven… this can be sprinkled into the finished soup.

Veggie Chowder and Cream of Mushroom Soup variation:  In a separate pan, sautee onions, chopped celery, peas, corn, finely chopped red bell pepper and any other veggies that top your list for a veggie chowder.  Similarly, a variety of mushrooms can be sautéed, on their own or as a medley, with some finely chopped onion, garlic and thyme to create a dairy free cream of mushroom soup using this recipe.

I can know all things on earth

without looking out of my window

I can know the ways of heaven.

The farther one travels

the less one knows

the less one really knows.

…

Arrive without travelling,

See all without looking,

Do all without doing.

~ The Inner Light by George Harrison