Salsa!

I have caught more than one friend or family member licking their bowl after eating some of this fabulous salsa!  One principle I go by is eat what you like, don't use an ingredient if you don't like the smell of it.  You nose can tell you a lot, I use my sense of smell almost more than my taste buds in the cooking process.  I am going to offer you a base salsa recipe, to which you can add what ever fruits, vegetables, legumes, cheese, or level of heat your little heart desires!  Enjoy!

Jennifer's Salsa:

Simple Salsa base consists of these 6 simple ingredients puree together in a blender or food processor.

1. 2-3 very ripe red tomatoes whole.

2. Champagne Vinegar or any fancy white vinegar with a mild tang.

3. Agave Nectar or whatever sweetener you like or have on hand. (my friend uses brown sugar, I        sometimes use stevia)

4.  Mexican spice mix. ( I will list below my bulk Mexican spice recipe I make and add to any south of the border dish I create.)

5. The juice of two limes.

6. Olive oil

*Blend all these ingredients very well, if you are in a hurry add your veggies etc. to the blender and pulse.  If you want to be more fancy dice all your other ingredients.  I try to use at least 4 different color vegetables; like orange & yellow peppers, red onion, green cilantro & parsley, white corn, black beans, peel and juice your tomatoes before you dice so you get the best meat. (parsley is a nice substitute for cilantro)  The sky is truly the limit with salsa, I think that's kind of the point, its a nice way to use up all your little bits left from cooking.  When you invest in organic foods, like we do, nothing goes to waste!

Jennifer's Mexican Spice Blend:
Cumin, Cumin, Cumin. ( I recently found roasted ground Cumin, even better!)
Paprika, Paprika (again smoked or roasted varieties are better)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Garlic Pepper
Chili powder
Dried green onion & chives
Dried Parsley & Cilantro
Sea Salt
Optional: Dried essence of lime, Cayenne pepper, crushed red peppers, ground red pepper.

*Enjoy with chips, layered dips, heated with a half brick of cream cheese and used as a enchilada base, dump in your pot of chili and give it a fresh makeover!

Create something new!  ~Jennifer

Just because we can, doesn't mean we should....

    With all the recent press over the Susan G Koman foundation, and the HHR bill, I have noticed, like most folks,that there is no give or take. You are on one side of the fence or the other. I wracked my brain, how does one broach this subject on a blog about family life and good health with out ending up mired in ugly debate, and pegged by my readers as being a radical in one way or another. Well I came to some very interesting conclusions when I looked at both these issues in the light of good health and well being.

    I find it curious that when one rails on the necessity of "family planning" aka birth control, no one ever stops to question the cure/remedy to the epidemic of pregnancy. In the last six weeks Ryan and I have found out, more than ever, that our bodies are designed to self regulate. It's truly amazing how the body can heal itself, with little intervention. My husband for example,who is after all, the center of this great experiment we have been living, has experienced profound healing in a month. His face swelling (due to the steroids) has reduced enough that co-workers are quite amazed, the week before this his left eye was nearly swollen shut and had developed a twitch. He's sleeping better every night, he's not snoring at all. (which was driving me batty for months BTW!) Before the nutrition change, he had no energy. None. He couldn't keep his eyes open past 8, he also had frequent bouts of nausea and heart burn. (side effects of the chemo drugs) He now has more energy than I have seen him have in months, possibly years. The heart burn is completely gone, as is the nausea. He has lost 16.5lbs in just over a month. One really amazing effect we hadn't intended was that his hypoglicemia seemed to disappear, practically over night. The 13 years we have been married, as soon as meal time rolled around Ryan would develope a less than flowery personality, and if meals got postponed he would get shakey and sweaty. All these symptoms became worse when he started taking steroids for RPF. I was less than thrilled when I discovered this. BUT, in over a month, he hasn't been shakey or over hungry once. All on a diet of eating only fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and healthy oils. This amount of healing in meerly one month of fasting. Wow, not a bad trade off if you ask me. This is the point, it's a trade off. He has chosen and restricted diet in order to be healthy, a true inconvenience.

    We, as Americans, always want to have our cake and eat it too. That, to some extent, explains the economical mess we are in, as well as the health care crisis we are in. We don't ever want to be inconvenienced by our choices. We don't want to give up any part of our life and save it for another time. We want it all, and we want it all now. In regards to birth control, and abortion, it amazes me how readily women are to jump on the bandwagon, and at such a young age. I thought that with the advent of birth control, teen pregnancy was supposed to go down, when in fact it has gone up. If you find a figure on the net somewhere that it has gone down, keep in mind the pregnancy have not, but the births have. We women begin to pump powerful hormones into our bodies at increasingly younger ages, and more of us interrupt pregnancy with abortion, yet we are out marching for a cure. Keep in mind that this is no longer a debate over when life begins, etc., etc. It's a debate about life choices. There is a lot of research out (which began in the 60's) that there is a link to cancer among women

who use birth control and chose abortion.

[http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/index/ is a good website that links you into numerous different clinical studies] Why, if we truly care about the well being of women, do we turn a blind eye. We are choosing "cake" over the very lives of our girls. It would be an inconvenience to guard our daughters bodies and hearts with every drop of energy in ours, in order to remove the need for birth control at fifteen years of age. (After all it's pretty hard to get pregnant if you are not sexually active.) It would be a huge cross to become pregnant in the second year of college, I couldn't imagine how to cope. But, if she chose to not abort and adopt the child out, she would reduce her risk of cancer, and mend the emotional well being of a woman unable to conceive. It's a valiant nine month trade off, and I commend every woman reading who chose it. 

     If you did not, and you chose abortion or contraception, or any other hormone therapy, chances are  you were not aware of any health risks (unless you smoke) and were most likely given a laundry list as to why you will actually be healthier and better off. Your options were limited to that of Western medicine.
I, in fact, encountered this in my twenties. I was unable to conceive for nearly five years. I had terrible cycles and pain. Knowing my family history of uterine cancers, I went to three different OB doctors. Each one said I needed birth control to regulate things, and that I would be better in no time. I refused for ethical and personal reasons. I wanted a baby for goodness sake! Why can't we find the source of the problem, and get me better? Upon my third visit, I pressed the OB for an ultra sound. Her response, "Oh my, I have never seen this in twenty years." I had three tumors in one ovary, one turning to cancer. CANCER! The Dr. informed me that had I accepted the hormone therapy so readily prescribed, it would have actually accelerated the growth of one of the tumors. Are you kidding me?! My point, is that they are passing out these powerful hormones to an increasing number of women, like Tic Tacs. Why aren't groups like NOW screaming their heads off? The very fact that SGK supports PP with funds, is akin to the National Lung Assocation supporting Marboro. Why would they offer healthy alternative? I doubt the big Pharm. companies that everyone loves to hate are going to jump on the "Birth control isn't so great after all." bandwagon, and PP isn't going to just roll over and admit that abortion carries significant risks to a woman's health. These two cash cows are far too important to our "have our cake and eat it too" society. What's that saying, "money talks and bull sh*%# walks??" To me this is no longer a issue of reproductive "rights". This is a hidden health crisis we are scoffing at, as women and society. We should demand the best. After all, we are the bearer of life to the world. Why would we let any money driven group or company decide what is truly in our best intrest??

   As far as the social implications of having to choose to naturally, or prevent pregnancy with out invasive drug, or "cure" pregnancy by means of abortion, sometimes, you have to choose things that are not fun, easy, or simple to live with. Personally, if someone told me that Ryan would only have to be on powerful medications for nine months, and that we only had to deal with spending, God knows what, on MASSIVE amounts of organic produce for "x" number of months, I would sign on the dotted line in a flash. The truth is Ryan and I have to swallow hard every morning, and know that we have no end in sight, and that in order for my husband to have any quality of life, he can't have his cake or eat it! Still, living a balanced, authentic and spiritually centered life, brings healing that filters into every aspect of life. Even if it's inconvenient....

*To the young ladies reading this who are on birth control or have had an abortion, this article is not meant to shame or scare you about this very personal choice.  It is meerly an invitation to a different way of thinking about your body, a way that our society doesn't reveal.  Infact I have had the pleasure of knowing many many women who live this way, and not all of them have a dozen kids.  But I know for a fact they have amazing marriages and husbands who understand and respect their bodies far more than most.*

French Pressing a Four year old....

    Eat your heart out Jillian Michaels; I have something better than weights, squats, and the dreaded "turkish get up," Jillian is oh so fond of. I have something much more physically and mentally challenging to master. I have CHILDREN! As I was quietly sitting reading on the couch with some tea, I was marveling at the fact that the chores were done, laundry in, and everyone was in their jammies 45 minutes before bed time. That’s when it happened. Like a thunderstorm rolling in across the lake the boys poured into the living room wrestling. The wrestling...oh the wrestling, you have no idea what a home where the four oldest children are boys can sound like when the wrestling begins. We could have experienced an earthquake and I would be oblivious; no one can tell where the laughing ends and the screams of terror begin. My only rule is, if you can't take it you better not dish it out; that keeps things clean. And of course, the little ones want to be involved. After all, a 26lb spunky little girl can take on her 80lb older brother any day, right? Well not just yet honey, that’s where I come in. You have to be creative when you are warding off big boys on the attack and doing french presses with your toddlers. The other toddlers waiting their turn in the wing occasionally lose their patience and knee bomb on to my abs. Seeing this coming, I am thrown instantly in a pilates move in an attempt to avoid injury, "Hold your core woman!" The workout hit its peak when my large 4 yr old Levi, who’s caught between the big kids and the little ones, wanted some Mommy time. He had been observing the french press, dive bomb routine for a good 15-20 min. Being a little older, he knew better than to just let loose and take the plunge. He said nicely, mommy can I have a turn? Being the devoted mother, I grabbed the chalk, clapped my hands and thrust my 60lb green jammie giant into the air. Four or five presses later, it was time for a cool down, which consisted of smooches and hugs and cuddles. NOW I would like to see one of those buff, perfect ab, super women do WWMOM and come out feeling as alive and happy as I do. (phew, now when does my husband get home with the wine?)