In the first segment we talked about eating habits and how that can effect our immune system.  One of the first things we can do when we begin to feel some kind of cold, flu or disease coming on is fall back to clean eating.
Now let's look at supplements.  There is no greater way to build your immune system than by knowing your own physical "weak" spots and adding supplements that are "tonic" in nature to building up and supporting those weak organ systems. 
Physical "weak" spots are those organ systems that are specific to you and your family members that have had chronic or debilitating problems over time.  Every person is unique and each one has a characteristic weak area that demonstrates symptoms whenever your body becomes tired and fatigued.  When we are self aware about these symptoms, we can go on the offensive for our own health by dropping back to great eating and reaching for those supplements that we have on hand that help rebuild and head disease off at the pass.   Even better, if you are aware of your weak spots, you can include tonic herbs to your daily supplement intake that will strengthen those organ systems so that sickness can't get in to begin with.
What is a tonic herb?  Certain herbs have an affinity for specific parts of the body.  If I exercise one are with a weight every day and not the other, over a few weeks time the arm being exercised will be stronger than the one that wasn't.   These herbs are gentle over a long period of use and safe to use that way.  
As an example: my weak spot is my sinus and respiratory system.  Whenever I feel my sinus begin to develop post nasal drip, dryness and congestion, I lay off any sort of sugary foods or additives, foods that cause extra phlegm production and processed carbs.  I reach for excellent protein foods, non-hydrogenated fats and short chain fatty acids, varieties of vegetables and low glycemic fruit (mostly berries).  I then begin a methodical increase of high intake vitamin C with bioflavinoids (2500 mg per day divided up into 3 applications), digestive enzymes with each meal, live bacterial probiotic capsule formula with upwards of 8 to 10 strains of bacteria including a bifidus and a dophilus culture, Echinacea as a blood cleaner to keep the virus or bacteria from traveling throughout the body and N-acetyl- cysteine (an enzyme that specifically aids the liver in filtering toxins out of the blood).    BUT, the tonic herbs I use daily all year round include, Vitamin C, a mineral supplement, N-acetyl cysteine, ashwaganda, B12, Vitamin D, and tumeric.
This is only one example of being ready for a viral onslaught.  Some folks have problems with their lungs, whether it be bronchitis or asthma and some of you may even have issues with COPD or other existing problems that make your life miserable when cold and flu season comes around.  In those cases, put the soldiers on guard early.  When cold season starts in September as kids go back to school, start taking higher doses of Vitamin C, take N-acetyl-cysteine as a daily supplement, start taking echinacea tincture 2 weeks on and 1 week off. 
But even before the winter season hits, visit your friendly herbal nutritionist, alternative health provider, or naturopath.  My biggest warning would be DON'T just go on the web and try to pick the supplements that tout themselves as the best or the cheapest.  There is a lot of information on the web - some of it is good, but some of it is advertising that doesn't meet the mark.  Make sure you know the reputation of the companies you are looking at, otherwise ask the practitioners that know.  Many people have been misguided by tainted or low viability supplement companies that cause them to lose confidence in the ability to get well with supplements.  An ounce of caution is worth a pound of cure. 
The following are a number of supplements and a quick synopsis of how they can be used to build up your immune system by taking them daily over time as a tonic.  This is only a small segment of possibility, but my hope is that it will cause you to start to examine your own health, ask some questions and begin to learn those supplements that will be your soldiers of health for the long haul.
Hawthorne - blood pressure regulator for high or low BP and strengthener of heart and circulatory system
Bitters - Strengthens the liver and digestive processes
Elderberry Syrup - High in Vit C and antiviral especially for colds & flue
Olive Leaf Extract - great for sinus infections, colds, bronchitis
Probiotics - Keeps gut flora balanced and wars against infective bacteria.  Use refrigerated brands.
Meadowsweet - a naturally buffered aspirin that heals digestive lining and is antiviral
Apple Cider Vinegar - as daily tonic or included in fire cider for extra punch
Onions & Garlic - cook with them, sulfur content fights colds and virus
Four Thieves Formula - aromatherapy used externally and inhaled to prevent sickness
Mullein - oil for ear infections and tincture as mild expectorant to eliminate mucus from lungs
Astragalus - builds deep immune system and infections & sickness that won't heal
Turkey Tail, Reishi, Chaga, Shitake or other mushroom formulas - improve body's response to sickness
Tumeric - another herb that improves body's response to disease
For more information on specific herbs for specific problems contact Cathy at the Potting Shed.  You may want to consider doing a personal consult.  We can design a personal protocol for your unique "weak" spots or life challenges. 
​Note:  If you are dealing with a debilitating disease for which you are taking prescription drugs, be sure to consult with your care provider before using other supplements.  Some supplements can supply deficiencies caused by specific pharmaceuticals, but some can interact with your medications.  Be sure to discuss this with someone knowledgeable before you begin.

It's fall and winter is approaching.  This is the time of year that everyone thinks about fighting colds and flues as the kids have gone back to school and begin to come home with all manner of shared illness.  This is the time many of us think about what we can stock up on ahead of time to be prepared.   The next few Blog posts will be a preparedness series. 
Part of being prepared is not just what to stock up on, but also how to begin NOW to build up our immune systems.  Many people suffer needlessly because their immune systems are low.  Our immune systems were created to overtake germs and viruses that enter our bodies and destroy them BEFORE they make us sick. If they don't work well, the best cold and virus fighting aids won't keep us from getting sick. So building a good immune system is a key to good health whatever the time of year.  These next series of blogs will offer you good building materials to do just that.   AND, don't forget that you can always ask questions by commenting to this post.
"Those who believe they have no time for health will sooner or later have to make time for illness"  Edward Stanley, The Conduct of Life
 All the organ systems of our bodies are meant to work synchronously.  When any one of them gets out of sorts, it affects all the rest.  Your respiratory system along with your digestive tract are the two organ systems that have direct contact with the outside world; meaning they are our first line of defense against the germs and viruses that can attack our systems.  How do they become weak? Anything that irritates and inflames our digestive tracts causes a breakdown in the lining at any point along the way.  That means that eating excellent, anti-inflammatory foods is going to help us maintain that stomach and gut lining.  It also means that the nutrients from that food that feed, sustain and strengthen the rest of the internal organ systems will be absorbed well and used efficiently; and that is right down to the cellular level.  It also means that all the nutrients that the respiratory needs to be sustained and strengthened are going to work efficiently also.  You see you really are what you eat!!  If your body is not fighting so hard just to digest food, it will have more energy to fend off the attackers when they come along and have a lot more soldiers to do so.
So the first order of business is what breaks down that system and how do we avoid it? This will be our first topic of discussion in this series.  We will start with food and then progress to supplements, herbs and other considerations in our next few blog posts.  
The Cellular Healing Diet Pyramid below will be your guide.
.  Highly glutenous grains - wheat, barley, corn, soy, oats - there has been a lot written about gluten forming foods so I won't belabor the point; but consider these things.  Non organic grains in these categories are highly treated with pesticides and especially with glyphosate a key ingredient in products like Roundup used in growing and drying before harvesting.  Many of the digestive difficulties attributed to gluten sensitivity are a result of the use of these herbicides that actually tear apart the lining of the digestive tract when we eat them.  Steer your purchases towards alkaline grains like quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth.  Use smaller portions of the more glutenous grains or as limited additions to other dishes perhaps once a week.  Buy only non-GMO brands that have the non-GMO seal on the packaging, which means no genetic modification has taken place.  Gluten irritations cause an increase in phlegm and mucous that inhibit absorption and in turn can cause similar congestion in other organs like liver, bowels and lungs.
. Processed foods - This one can be confusing.  If you think that processed foods are only the ones that come in preboxed or packaged dinners; think about this:  grains that have been ground, like flours, are all limited in the amount of nutrients now available because the whole part of the grain is missing.  That includes even good grains like lentils and rice made into pastas and noodles.  The more processing the less value to your system.  Purchase foods in their whole forms as much as possible and use good grains in their processed forms on a limited basis.
.  Toxic fats and oils -  We know a lot more today than we did even 2 or 3 years ago as the science of food continues to give us a clearer picture of what healthy food is.  We have for years believed that vegetable oils were good for us.  This is not the case as in their processing they are hydrogenated in order to maintain shelf life which renders them "toxic" in that they begin an artery clogging process.  Pure fats like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil and foods like nuts, olives, coconut cream, milk and aminos, whole fat grass fed dairy, butter, ghee, cheese (if you're not allergic) are some examples of the great fats that actually stimulate better metabolism and actually help stabilize insulin and clear arteries. 
. Alkalinity is key as your digestive tract needs alkaline foods in order to be absorbed efficiently along your digestive process.  This is all about the pH of the food, not its natural form.  For example citrus fruit has an acidic form but it's pH is alkaline and thus is good food for us.  Foods like sugar, coffee and alcohol are extremely acidic and interfere with your body's ability to absorb nutrients and actually contribute to malnutrition.  Good, fresh fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors, organically grown and ripened on the vine are your alkaline allies.  Buying them as locally as possible will ensure that the ripening process has occurred naturally and not synthetically by spraying as they travel to your destination.
.  Cancer is a name that causes fear in many peoples' hearts.  Extreme amounts of sugar feed cancer cells and help them to grow.  Sugar also depletes our immune system and weakens it so that we are more susceptible to bacteria and germs.  Holiday times can be especially fraught with folks coming down with all manner of sickness because of the overabundance of sugar choices during festive meals.  Develop your dessert menus with low or no sugar substitutes and make a conscious effort to limit your sugar intake.
.  Too much meat based protein.  Although good grass fed meats are good for us; a large portion of meat at every meal is not advisable because it will tend to make us too acidic and upset the alkaline balance needed for good absorption.  Remember that protein does not just equal meat, but many other foods have good protein like a variety of vegetables, eggs, nuts, dairy.  Too much meat can also put undue stress on your kidneys.  Make sure you take good advantage of a variety of vegetables daily in multiple colors as each color has unique nutrients that your body can use to build your bulletproof immune system.
.  What a dinner plate looks like - a typical plate for dinner might look like 2 tablespoons or more of good fat, a palm sized portion of protein, a similar sized portion of good carbohydrates and twice that amount of vegetables.
That's enough food information to get you started.  Watch for the next blog segment as we continue to look at other circumstances that affect our ability to improve and build a healthy immune system.

My apologies for being away so long.  We sold our house in Williston and  moved to the Northeastern part of Vermont.  Needless to say, it has been many weeks of packing, moving and getting settled.  Although we are still in temporary quarters, we are on a lake and enjoying the Indian Summer days, warmer than usual, as we wait for the right house to come on the market.

Proverbs 6:6  "Observe the ant's ways and be wise, which having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provisions in the harvest"  
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Although I have had a very small vegetable garden of my own this summer, due to the move; there has been an abundance of food at the local farmers' markets with the warm summer we have had.  I am gathering vegetables at great prices to get my freezing done, and putting squashes into my cool spare bedroom closets.  I sure do miss my cold cellar and pantry.  It's just part of my nature and fall routine to get the fresh foods put up so that we have them in winter.  There's nothing like knowing where your food comes from and how it has been preserved; and no healthier foods to eat that those that have ripened and been picked locally at the peak of perfection so that the full nutritional value is contained within.
The same goes for the herbs.  Time to do the last of the foraging and drying.  Time to take stock of what you have on hand for winter health issues and make sure that you can put your hands on them should you need them.  We in Vermont, are blessed to have numerous herbalists and apothecaries where we can obtain dried material if we don't have our own.  Making those tinctures of Echinacea, Goldthread, Meadowsweet, Astragalus and so many others according to your household's winter needs will go a long way to keep colds and flu at bay, but will be advantageous should someone come down with something more serious.  You will be able to hit any threat of sickness immediately.
Don't underestimate the power of food.  Those squashes that keep so nicely all winter in cold storage are full of vitamin A, which is a great adaptogenic immune booster against the common cold.  Others like garlic, onions, apples are God's special provision for those of us who live in northern climes.  Want to learn more?  Watch for more information on our video class on Thursday, October 4th.  We will discuss the many option for your food stocks, supplements and herbals that you can make and prepare to have on hand for the winter months to prepare yourself and your families for a bulletproof immune system for winter.  Want to learn how to make elderberry syrup?  We will have an open classroom at Hunger Mountain from 6 to 8 pm.  We will have recipe, lecture and you will take some home.  For more information, call Cathy at 802-683-1785 or email thrushsong60@gmail.com.  Hope to see you there!
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It was a steamy day in July in the north woods and we took the Potting Shed students and some friends for some plant identification and escape for the oppressive heat.  It turned out to be the perfect stress release, fun, exploration and learning with friends.  Here are some of the reports

It was my birthday and my first hike in 4 years due to knee surgery. I was hiking with my friend Patty and Cathy Dodge and her Potting Shed class. We drove up to a Moscow Rd. path beside a beautiful stream in Stowe.  This is the first time I had met people in the class and I was warmly received. The weather was beautiful, I was excited, inquisitive, and eager to learn about edible plants on the trail.  I was along for the ride, not a student yet.  We hadn’t gone up 15 feet and we were inundated with plants being identified by classmates.  The “bug bit” me and instead of looking up, I was traveling with my eyes down on plants around me. Tommy pointed out a mushroom on the side of a birch called Chaga, known for its melanin and medicinal properties used to strengthen and heal the body.  I’m looking at that chunk of black mass a bit differently now that I’ve looked it up. There were so many mushrooms I missed that were pointed out. I thought they were all poisonous.  The wheels started turning to thoughts of making a tincture for my son-in-law who is dealing with prostate cancer.  
Patty and I were there to harvest some nettle for herself and a friend dealing with allergy symptoms.   I couldn’t believe how available it was right next to the trail.  We filled three bags without making much of a dent in the patch and only took what we would process. I have personally fried this up with onions and it tastes just like spinach. 
 We were finding many plants too numerous for me to remember. I didn’t have the right book for identification and had to rely on everyone else’s knowledge and my camera. All I could think of was how great God is to supply humanity with all this food I knew nothing about.  It was a great field trip! 
 

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 ​What a glorious day on July 10 in Stowe, VT! I played hooky from work in an office building to walk in the woods. What a refreshing way to get re-energized during the week! I joined a group of plant lovers on a Healing Leaves Center hike where we identified plants, enjoyed the very pleasant weather, and talked plants and all things herbal. 

Our leader, Cathy Dodge, asked questions and helped us identify plants along the way. We also asked her a lot of questions which she very graciously answered. It was exciting and relaxing at the same time as we observed nature and listened to the mountain stream/river that cascaded next to the hiking path. We saw many beautiful rock formations in the stream bed.

Things we learned

Thank goodness for Petersen's guides which we consulted to identify the plants. We identified Clintonia, Woodland Nettles, and Heal-all, as well as other plants and trees. Let's hear from all the hikers.

Patty
I went on this hike twice last year and learned so much. This was my third trip, and I was so proud to identify St John's Wort, Plantain, and Nettles. But there are so many more plants to learn, remember, and photograph. We saw Moosewood so named because moose love to eat it. 

Speaking of eating, we talked about how to use some of the plants in different recipes. Seems that whenever I hike, I think about food!

It was great to find the herb Heal-all, a lovely little plant that grows along the path. This plant is used by herbalists topically to heal skin abrasions. 


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Summer has arrived and so have those hikes in the woods and fields, along lakes and streams.  Unfortunately the tick population has increased and continues to travel further into northern climes as well as multiply and mutate all over the world.  Not only are the ticks a problem because of the lyme disease they carry, but they are also carriers of at least 6 other microbacterial forms, any one of which or multiples of combinations, can also infect the unsuspecting victim at the same time. 
As scary as that might seem, there are many things that we can do to avoid being infected.  Lyme and its coinfections are just another issue to be educated for so that we can take the necessary precautions and enjoy every bit as much of the outdoors as we always have.  An ounce of prevention - a pound of cure.
Quite often you will see notes about wearing your pants tucked into your socks and long sleeve shirts.  That may be fine for some, but personally, wearing all that clothing on a hot, steamy day, doesn't give me the freedom of movement and enjoyment that draws me to the fields and forests in the first place.  As an herbalist, I now have developed my "Tick Kit" that I carry with me in my pack whenever I go out and I have one at home also.  The "Tick Kit" contains:
       .  A 2 oz bottle of Kloss's linament - a well known herbal topical antibiotic containing goldenseal, myrrh and echinacea that can infiltrate the skin and begin to wipe out any infectious bacteria that may have been released.
      .  A 2 oz spray bottle with an herb called andrographis diluted with water that can be sprayed on skin and clothes as a repellent.  Ticks do not like this herb.  There are other tick repellent sprays but the good thing about this one is that you can use it topically on a tick bite site if you don't have Kloss's with you.  This is also an antibiotic type herb that will help kill bacteria through the skin.
      .  A 2 oz bottle of concentrated andrographis that can be used topically and can also be taken orally if there has been a bite to begin the internal antibiotic process.  Be ready, it's extremely bitter!!
      .  A tick removal spoon - which has a V groove in it that slides under the tick body, catches them by the throat and removes the tick without squeezing them with your fingers.  This technique helps to keep the tick from regurgitating bacteria into your body from squeezing.
Remember, ticks burrow into the skin until they find a blood vessel to feed on.  Until that happens, little if any bacteria will be released.  The sooner you find the tick and remove them the better off you will be.  It takes at least 12 - 24 hours generally for the tick to burrow in that far. 
Make sure you have a "tick buddy".  Someone whom you hike with or who is available after your times in the outdoors who can take a look at you as you remove clothing and check backs and under arm creases and even groin areas and behind the knees.  Ticks like to find the warm, hidden creases of your body to burrow in and hide.  Then take your clothing off and place them in the dryer for 30 minutes to kill any that might be on your clothes.  Wearing white or light colored shirts and shorts/pants is a good idea so that ticks can be easily seen.
If you do find a tick imbedded, don't panic!!  Determine how long it might have been there.  If it occurred during that day's walk, just remove it and keep your eye on the site for the next week.  Apply some Kloss's or andrographis topically and perhaps take a dose of andrographis internally.
Watch for the typical target rash but know that those don't always appear.  If there has been an infection you could see the area become red and angry looking, perhaps hot and rashy.  You could also feel like you have the flu or have a fever.  Any of these symptoms and you should contact your medical practitioner.  At this point, no matter how much you don't want to take antibiotics, taking them will deter a potentially debilitating long-term problem.  These bacteria are nothing to mess with and even before receiving any kind of test results back, you should ask for antibiotics - doxycycline is the accepted antibiotic for this scenario unless you are allergic because of it's strength against lyme. 
For more reliable and expert information on the long term problems of Lyme disease, you could purchase a book Healing Lyme by Steve Buhner, an herbalist who has treated thousands of folks with lyme and has developed a protocol for working with long term lyme issues.   There is also a website at http://www.tiredoflyme.com/the-buhner-protocol-for-lyme-disease.html.   There is also a site www.drjaydavidson.com    who is a functional medicine practitioner who also has extensive experience with lyme because of his wife having been infected when she was pregnant a number of years ago.
Best cure - prevention - take precautions and stay healthy and enjoy creation!!

​​Intermittent fasting is a technique that helps your body jump start itself out of disease, fatigue, inflammation and potential immune decline.  It is not a diet, but an understanding of how to help your body switch from solely relying on glucose and insulin for energy, to fat burning which is better “fuel” for your body. 
 
It’s hard to believe that fasting can actually increase energy, but that is exactly what it does by giving your body a break from high demand for glucose (insulin) in order to digest food.    In some ways we suffer from overabundance.  We can get foods from all over the world and the food industry comes up with more and more products that are convenient and seem to take some of the work out of food preparation and meal planning.  Truth is that we eat more than we need to and the processed food industry has created a monster in that those foods may be convenient but they have little nutritional value and cause sugar cravings as they break down into sugar; along with the added sugars in the rest of our foods. 
 
Intermittent fasting causes a physical body response to lack of glucose and causes it to go looking for defective and old cells that it can recycle for the proteins that are available and eliminate the rest.  That process called “autophagy” (auTOF-agee) triggers our stem cells to make brand new cells to replace the recycled ones.  That means as your body is recreating cells, it makes them from new vital cells not old, defective ones.  So any precancerous, autoimmune or diseased cells are eliminated before they take hold. 
 
There is another fuel source that our body uses when glucose is not readily available.  It is called fat.  Not only will your body eat it’s own fat stores (like belly fat) but it can function very well on good fats that you eat like avocados, olive oil, nuts and nut butters, full fat greek yogurt and others(we have food lists).  AND the real science is, contrary to public opinion created by the food gurus,  FAT DOESN’T MAKE YOU FAT, HEAVY STARCHY CARBS MAKE YOU FAT!
 
So the technique of intermittent fasting is to allow time for the body to go without glucose long enough to go looking for recyclable cells and fat to use for energy.  Once your body becomes used to using fat for energy, you can eat good fats with each meal, leave out the starchy carbs, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits and good proteins.  When that happens, you will find you no longer have sugar cravings.  And over a 15 day period of eliminating breakfast 3 days a week, you can begin to see and feel the difference in your energy and health. 

It has been a busy week here at Healing Leaves Center with the start of another season in The Potting Shed.  It has also been a blessing being a spiritual mother in the Body of Christ as those who God has given me to nurture and help along the way, have returned to share what God has done.
It is easy for us to misconstrue the expression "Mother Earth" if we look with the wrong set of lenses; but it is part of the creation that Father God created and is an amazing picture of how we are nurtured by the beauty of nature and even healed by this realm of beauty when our stressful lives become too much.  
With that thought, I would like to share with you an Apache blessing that comes from the appreciation of just one of our native tribes who lived well from the earth.
                          May the sun bring you new energy by day,
                          May the moon softly restore you by night,
                            May the rain wash away your worries,
                 May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
                       May you walk gently through the world and
                         Know it's beauty all the days of your life.
                                                                       Apache Blessing

Spring has FINALLY come to the Northeast and what a joy it is after an unusually long winter of sporadic temperatures and overcast days!!!!
It feels wonderful to feel the warmth of the bright sun on our faces as we soak up the natural Vitamin D that we all need so much.    Be aware that this time  of the year the sun’s rays are very intense, even more so than the middle of summer, so we should take the precautions we need to, to keep from overdoing it.  I prefer to wear a hat and not put anything on my face but perhaps some facial lotion containing zinc oxide.   St John’s wort oil is a good natural sunblock.  If you have extremely sensitive skin, approach hot days carefully and wear long sleeve, loose fitting shirts if you are going to be in the direct sun for a long period of time.  Otherwise just breathe deeply and enjoy it.
Then there are the little faces of spring.  The flowers come in such bright contrast to the brown earth and then against the bright green of the grass as it turns overnight.  Flowers like dandelions, viola, spring cress and green superfoods like burdock and ramps (wild onion) that we can add to our salads.
Forage in your lawn for plantain, viola leaves, and dandelions.  (That is if you don’t spray your lawn with pesticides!).  It’s amazing what your lawn will provide if you let it grow naturally.
Forage at field’s edge for coltsfoot which flower before their leaf comes marking the place to pick those leaves later on, so take note.   Horsetail is prolific and tender to pick for tinctures, drying for tea and tooth powder.
Forage in the forest for trout lilies(dog-toothed violets), sorrel, cress, bloodroot
Forage in your perennial garden beds for French sorrel and asparagus(great for strengthening the kidneys after a long winter).
Don’t forget to just take some time to stretch your legs for a walk amongst them.  It’s a great way to reduce stress God’s way.  These days you can almost hear them stretching their “limbs” from a long winter’s nap, their colors crying out for attention to admire their beauty.
Don’t let spring pass you by, without taking note of what’s around you and maybe collecting a few specimens to take back and identify from your Peterson’s Field Guide.  If plant walks and foraging are your passion, let us know.  We are just putting together our summer evening series for July and August.  Or perhaps you’re a more serious forager and want all the particulars of what to do with these plants so you can use them.  If so you might want to join our Family Herbal Series that starts the end of June for 5 2-hour sessions of learning.  More serious than that?  Consider joining the first year class at the Potting Shed Herbal School.   There are many ways to learn and we are a community of folks with similar passions, ready to share our knowledge as well as fun.
 
Happy foraging!!

Greetings Wellness Seekers

I know that it's been some time since we have updated our blog.  Our apologies for keeping you all in the dark as we prepared, partnered together, learned and reset our courses for health at the "Sticky Facts About Gluten" health day.  It was awesome!  Not only did we learn a lot in the morning about the sources for these problems, how to recognize them and how to avoid health reactions to gluten containing foods; but we learned the steps to overcome them and gain our health back.  Then we had a truly adventurous time in the kitchen with our New England Culinary graduate, Kim Post, who showed us how to make awesome transitional food dishes, without gluten elements that were delicious as well as easy to make.   We all got to participate in putting the dishes together and then enjoyed each others' company as we ate a most delicious meal together.  Who says getting well can't be fun.

In the days ahead we will give you more information about the weekend and teaching series elements that will be available by video connection in the near future.  Meantime, enjoy this summer salad from Kim's repertoire, just in time for the coming of warmer weather.  Quinoa is not a grain and is an anti-inflammatory food as well as non gluten food.  It's a great substitute for all your rice recipes.  Cilantro is also an excellent detoxifying food and such a great flavor to add to the mix.

Quinoa Mango & Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:  2 C cooked quinoa (chilled or room temperature)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 mango, peeled and diced
4 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1 small lime)
1/2 tsp kosher or Himalayan salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions:
*  In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa, mango, red pepper, onion, black beans & cilantro
*  In small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper and stir together.  Pour on top of salad, Stir to combine.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!!!   Love to hear what you think.

​Cathy

Thin Crust, Gluten Free Pizza
Pizza has to be an all American favorite,  The traditional pizza is a heavy carb load and a threat to all you celiac and gluten sensitive folks.  Now thanks to creative and informed chefs, we have alternatives that are good tasting and user friendly.  The following is one of them from The Healing Kitchen by Sarah Ballantyne, PhD & Alaena Haber, MS, OTR.

2/3 Cup arrowroot starch
1/4 Cup plus 2 T coconut flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp non-aluminum baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Cup water

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a pan with parchment paper
2.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Slowly pour in the olive oil and water until mixed thoroughly. The dough will be slightly crumbly, but once you roll it our in step 3 it will hold together.
3.  Place the dough on the parchment paper and lay another sheet of parchment paper over the top.  Roll out util it is about 1/4 inch thick.
4.  Bake for 12-13 minutes or until light golden brown and crisp.  Use immediately for pizza or let cool and store in refrigerator 24 hours or in the freezer for 3 months.

Note:  We top these pizzas like we would any other pizza, sauce, cheese, and desired toppings.

Convenience Note:  Make a double batch.  Use one immediately and store one in the frig or freezer for the next time.

Yum!!
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