Blog Archives

CATNIP, Benefits, How to Identify & Harvest this Medicinal Herb

7/30/2020

Catnip; this medicinal herb is not just for cats. It offers great benefits to humans too. It is excellent for digestion and offers relief from bloating and acid reflux. It is also a mild sedative, a great herbal remedy for those who suffer from anxiety.

In this short video, I show you how to identify the herb, harvest it, dry it and make tea. It’s simple, beneficial and rewarding.

Stay healthy,
Jen

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Jen’s Delicious, Nutritious, Easy Pesto Recipe using Garlic Scapes

7/20/2020

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Jen’s Delicious and Nutritious Easy Pesto Recipe.

I absolutely love a good, fresh, homemade pesto sauce, who doesn’t?! I also love using garlic scapes in my pesto as opposed to garlic. You may not know what garlic scapes are, and their many health benefits, so read on and watch the video to find a great new recipe, and to learn about garlic scapes and their great benefits.

Garlic scapes are the tender stem and flower bud of a hardneck garlic (hardneck garlic is the kind of garlic that typically grows in Canada and the U.S.).

Garlic is one of the few plants with two harvests; the scapes are harvested in the late spring, early summer, and the bulbs are harvested later in the summer. Harvesting the scapes is an essential step in growing your own garlic. If the scapes aren’t cut off, the garlic bulb doesn’t grow and will dramatically lack in flavour. The scapes should be cut when they start curling.

Garlic scapes can be eaten and used in recipes just like garlic. They are a great source of calcium, manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and selenium. and antioxidants

The most tender parts are the tops of the stem. The buds are delicious chopped up raw. Sauté, roast, grill, BBQ, add them to omelettes or soups, pasta, stir frys, make dips, scape garlic butter, pesto, or just pickle them.
To make my delicious, nutritious, nutrient-rich Garlic Scape Pesto you’ll need the following:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup garlic scapes
2 tbsp pecans (you may substitute with other nuts or seeds for a nut free option)
2 tbsp hemp hearts
1/2 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
1/2 Pink Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast.

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth.
Adjust seasonings if needed.

Note:
Makes 3 - 250 ml mason jars
The pesto can also be frozen. Use within 3-6 months.

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July 12th, 2020

7/12/2020

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Why Stay Hydrated?!

7/9/2020

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As we reach peak temperatures, it’s easy for us to reach for something other than the most obvious to quench our thirst. And although there isn’t anything wrong with periodically indulging in our favourite cold summer beverage or gelato, we must do a better job of consistently staying hydrated. Most people don’t drink enough water. I see this a lot in my practice. Our body’s are mostly made up of water and so is the earth. We could not survive without it and chances are most of us are not getting enough.

Water’s benefits include:

Carries oxygen throughout the body
Enhances brain function
Aids in digestion and weight loss
Flushes body waste and detoxifies
Boosts skin health
Significantly affects energy levels
Regulates body temperature and mood
helps maintain blood pressure

On average you should drink between 8-16, 8 oz cups a day. The amount you need depends on many things; your lifestyle, how active you are, the climate you live in, your weight and height, the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat each day (as they contain water) and if you drink caffeinated and/or alcoholic beverages, you need to compensate for those (one additional cup of water for each cup of caffeinated coffee, or tea, or alcoholic beverage).

Dehydration can have serious side effects and although most of us don’t ever get to that level, we still see minor symptoms like dry mouth and skin, headaches, fatigue, sugar cravings, etc. Our vital organs are first to take the water they need for survival leaving secondary systems and organs, like skin, starved.

Keep in mind that not all water is created equal. Tap and bottled water should be avoided. Tap water contains chlorine, flouride, lead, mercury, radon, nitrates, arsenic, and pharmaceutical drugs. Water that comes from plastic bottles contains high amounts of BPA which is known to disrupt hormones and clog up our liver and kidneys. Plastic is also bad for our planet.

Good sources of water include spring, filtered, and distilled water. Spring water is probably the best source of water but also the hardest to come by. Ask around though, there may be a natural spring not too far from where you live. Filtered water is something you can achieve at home. Some great filtration systems out there,
www.consciouswater.ca, https://waterfilters.mercola.com/, A more budget friendly option is a Brita or a Zerowater filter. These will remove metals like lead, copper, and mercury and chemicals such as chlorine and pesticides.

Filtration systems such as solid carbon block will remove fluoride, bacteria, parasites, pesticides, solvents, possible heavy metals, without removing basic minerals.

Reverse osmosis or distillation will remove fluoride, bacteria, parasites, pesticides, and heavy metals. Both processes will remove basic minerals which you will need to add back into your water.

The bottom line is, get your water in. You will feel better for it and your body will thank you.

Stay hydrated.
Jen

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