Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

I've been sick since Friday, but yesterday the sun came out and healed me a bit. It was funny, because I woke up early, coughing my head off, and tried to make a doctor appointment. No one at the medical center answered. I found out later we were under a level 3 weather emergency, so that explained it. At noon we went down to a level 2, so I headed out to run some errands, no longer feeling like I needed the doctor. I wanted those little clementine oranges, so I popped into the grocery and then had a craving for mushroom soup. Mushrooms are immunity building and healing you know, so I assume it was an intuitive eating thing.

When I was single and lived alone, I taught myself to cook some things by using recipes I found on the back of cans. These are usually simple and naturally include the item in the can. I was checking the soup label to make sure there weren't any really bad ingredients (as a vegetarian, I have to be on the lookout especially for lard). I was thrilled to notice a recipe for broccoli cheese soup also on the label. It was just like old times! I'm going to start doing this more often. Typically we buy organic, frozen broccoli at Meijer, but they were out the last time my husband went shopping, so I bought conventional. As usual, I altered the recipe a bit, so I'll just tell you how I made it, and you can tweak it however you wish.

Shopping list:  1 package 12 to 16 oz. frozen broccoli; one 26 oz. can cream of mushroom condensed soup; your choice cheese; canola or vegetable oil; milk or half & half; Better Than Bouillon or chicken broth; onion; garlic.
(Exact amounts of ingredients will vary according to the size soup you are making and according to taste.)

1.  Put a little organic canola oil in the bottom of a saucepan. Add one chopped white onion (I used a small one). If you have garlic cloves, chop them and throw them in. I didn't, so I sprinkled in some  garlic powder. I ground organic black peppercorns and added some organic thyme (good for respiratory illness!). Saute until onions are soft (about 3 to 5 minutes).

2.  Add bag of frozen broccoli and saute 2 minutes. Stir in one can cream of mushroom soup (this was Essential Everyday brand). The recipe called for 1 pound of processed cheese spread, cubed. I'm not sure what this is--maybe Velveeta? I grated raw, organic sharp cheddar cheese and added that instead, but nowhere near a pound. I didn't measure it. The recipe called for 2 cups of half & half, but I used organic 1% milk. And instead of 1 cup chicken broth, I used 2 teaspoons vegetarian Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base.

3.  Simmer 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and soup is heated through. Serve with croutons if desired. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

The raw cheese was quite strong, and I was afraid Beezy and her cousin who was visiting wouldn't like it, so I threw some organic oven fries in to bake. As it turned out, they both liked the soup, but Beezy didn't finish hers because it was a little too strong. Her cousin thought it was really good, and my husband, who loves strong cheese, thought it was amazing. I was especially pleased thinking that the French would approve, what with their affection for creamy dishes, and good cheese, of course!
For dessert we had frozen organic berries, slightly thawed.

I like the French idea of making sure you have at least 3 courses for dinner. It makes trying something different less risky, especially when you have kids. If the girls hadn't been fond of the soup, they could have just eaten a small portion and would for sure have liked the fries and fruit. So give the soup a try and tell me what you think, or share a comfort soup of your own for cold winter days.

Summer Malaise

My days have certainly lost their sense of flow lately. This past week I went to the doctor twice. Monday was for my sinus infection, which was a particularly nasty one, and I still have goopy drainage clogging my throat. I was down and out for a couple of days. Luckily my husband is home for the summer! Then my arm had a slight, itchy rash a couple of days later, which turned into an alarmingly large, thick, blistery area. Some sort of contact dermatitis, like poison ivy, with itching bad enough to interrupt my sleep. Add to those maladies a certain womanly nuisance also involving itching, and I've been quite a mess!

The intense heat and drought of the summer have been wearing on everyone, I think. Today is cooler, and it looks like it might possibly rain. My husband and I have been keeping the house picked up, and he got our monthly groceries from the health food co-op that comes in on a truck, so that is cheering. The refrigerator was looking bare. Now we have organic ice cream!

I have gained a few pounds, which started when I couldn't exercise due to having a half inch piece of hard wood floor embedded in my big toe for 10 days. I didn't know for sure that something was still in there after pulling out the first two pieces that were sticking out of it. I had gotten up from the chair I am sitting in now, and when I stood up, I pushed my foot into loose splinters. I did not know hard wood floors could do such a thing! My husband dug around in my toe with tweezers, but the remaining piece was too deep to be found. My doctor was my hero the day he removed the "thorn", like the mouse did from the paw of the lion.

I need to get back on track. I have made a lot of progress with ordering my house this summer, but it requires constant vigilance to keep up. We haven't taken any vacations, money is tight, and I just want to be healthy and free of itching! I know this will pass, and these have really been only minor inconveniences. There is no agenda for today, which is how it has been since I got sick. "What should we do today?" is the question. It's discouraging not to feel an energizing hum of purpose to my days. My huband wants to go back out to the garage sales along 127, and I want to make it to Mass this evening. Sometimes you just have to get started. Do what needs to be done. Take the day one moment at a time. Energy can just get blocked, and we have to pull our boots out of the mud to release it, before we get mired. How do you get unstuck? Maybe my readers will be so gracious as to share with me how you get your wheels turning again, and I can write a post with the answers!

Why Go Vegetarian?

Quoted from an editorial by William Clifford Roberts, M.d., Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Cardiology:

"When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores."

A friend recently explained to my child, Beezy, who is a vegetarian like me and her dad, that people are meant to be omnivorous, eating both plants and meat. This is not, however, a statement of fact, but an opinion. I don't think anyone could make a case for humans being strictly carnivorous, eating only meat. Even the most die hard steak lover likes a potato on the side! But the case can be made for vegetarianism. I don't know enough about the vegan diet, which contains no animal products at all, such as cheese or eggs, to comment on it. Some vegetarians eat fish but otherwise no meat. I used to be primarily vegetarian because I ate fish, but now I am strictly vegetarian, but not vegan, so that is what I will focus upon.

I became interested in vegetarianism in my mid-to-late 20s because a friend of mine was vegetarian, and I asked her why. She mentioned how the processing of meat is often not only cruel to animals, but that it also affects humans. For instance, she explained how turkeys are hung by their necks on a conveyor belt before their heads are chopped off, and how the fear and trauma they experience results in high levels of stress hormones flooding their systems, which are then in the meat that we eat. Interesting. I don't know exactly what the science is behind that idea, but it makes logical sense. Most people assume vegetarians make that choice to avoid unnecessary cruelty to animals, but that is not the only reason.

I then read in a yoga book how the human anatomy is not designed to consume meat, based on details of the teeth, digestive system, and saliva. Another blog gives a detailed explanation of the facts, which you can read here:  http://ahadalam.blogspot.com/2006/07/why-veg-biological-reasons-part-2.html

In summary, the function of our saliva, shape of our teeth, length of our intestines, and the way we digest food indicates a closer resemblance to herbivores than omnivores. In nature, the anatomy of the omnivore is very similar to the carnivore. Ours is quite different. Also, we are not opportunistic eaters, scavenging for whatever we can find to eat, which describes the omnivore in nature. Even if our ancestors were hunters and gatherers, it seems likely that we have evolved toward a more plant based diet. In fact, I saw Dr. Oz, the renowned heart surgeon, describe on the Oprah show how meat is digested by rotting for three days in our bodies! Plant material, on the other hand, passes easily through. He did not say humans should not eat meat, but that is just gross and can't be particularly good for you.

There are also humanitarian and ecological reasons for being vegetarian. The land it takes to graze cattle to feed just one person can feed 30 people with soybeans. In a world full of starving people, this is hugely significant. Rainforests are being depleted at an alarming rate in order to provide land to raise beef, mostly for Americans. Cow farts contribute more to the greenhouse gasses that cause global warming than our cars do! And of course most medical specialists agree that saturated fats and bad cholesterol from animal product consumption are major contributors to heart disease. Many people I know, who have become more conscious of health for themselves and for the planet are eating much less meat, even if they do not become vegetarians. It seems to be an intuitive change. In my case, it was also part of a deepening spiritual growth and awareness. I began by cutting out beef, then poultry, and finally fish and seafood. Now any meat simply doesn't taste good. I accidentally ate bacon not too long ago, which I once really liked, but it tasted terrible. One can become accustomed to omitting even his or her favorite meats from one's diet without any secret, residual longing, though this may take some time.

Along the way I would occasionally eat meat; for example, turkey at Thanksgiving or when my dad made his awesome barbeque chicken. It can be hard to be different and feel like you don't fit in with friends, family, or your community in general in this way. But you can make the transition gradually, being fortified in the knowledge that your choice to be vegetarian is really the best all around. Americans generally eat too much protein, and it is easy to get adequate amounts from nuts, beans, legumes, whole grains, seeds, and small amounts of organic dairy. A vegetarian can be malnourished, but no more so than an omnivore who does not eat a balanced diet.

And for anyone who reads the Bible or cares, in Genesis God specifically gives herbs and plants to the humans He has created. There is no mention of eating the animals in God's original purpose for us people made in His image. My guess is that the eating of animals, by both people and other animals, was a result of the imbalances in the world due to the fall from grace. Just a thought.

Certainly the case can be made, and has been, for humans being naturally omnivorous, and if that is your true belief and intuition, eat the way it makes the best sense for you and your family. But I would advise anyone who eats meat to know where it comes from and how it was raised. No food is good for us when produced by some of our modern methods of adding growth hormones and pesticides, feeding the animals in a way not natural to them, and raising them with cruel and unhealthy methods. Know the farmer you get it from, or buy organic! My daughter's pediatrician said she could be perfectly healthy on a vegetarian diet, and because my child loves animals, the idea of eating them is revolting to her. In a world in desperate need of greater lovingkindness, gentleness, and care for all of God's creations, a primarily vegetarian diet is certainly worth a shot.

Vitality Challenge

 Model and Yogi, Christy Turlington

Are you tired almost every day, even after a full night's sleep? Do you struggle to have enough energy to perform your every day tasks?  Fatigue is not an unusual problem for women, especially those of us nearing middle age (cringe). Hormonal changes, raising children, caring for aging parents, and careers are all challenges we face, and in today's world, we are juggling it all at a faster and faster pace. Ladies, we are depleted, let's face it. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are on a merry-go-round that, if we ever get off it, we do so by careening through the air and crashing into a tree. We wouldn't know the simple life from a Mexican fruit bat.

Yesterday I received the May issue of  Whole Living magazine in the mail, and a caption on the cover says, "Spring-Clean Your Life."  So I think a challenge is in order. My sister is getting married Memorial weekend, and I have been meaning to lose 10 pounds. But let's not diet.  Diet is a 4-letter word, and we know diets don't work long-term. And we are not interested in counting calories or deprivation of any kind. In fact, eat whatever you want. Just keep a few tips in mind and implement these steps religiously:

1. Sugar will give you a boost of energy, but then you will crash. Sugar is aging and causes all manner of health problems in excessive amounts. If you want a treat, eat a good meal or substantial snack first, then have a small dessert.

2. No caffeine after 2:00 p.m.  It will interfere with your sleep.

3. Less than 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night results in serious sleep deprivation. Get your beauty rest!

4. Exercise at least 30 minutes every day but Sunday, which should be your complete day of rest. You can cook a nice Sunday dinner, but really, your husband can do that if you cook the rest of the week. Otherwise, no house work. Do something relaxing that you enjoy. Or do nothing. Just be.

5. Begin your fitness program with 5 minutes of moving warm ups, rather than static stretches. For 20 minutes, take a brisk walk, dance, do aerobics, use free weights, etc... Then cool down with yoga stretches for 5 minutes. I guarantee you will have more energy! And regular exercise translates to a better quality of sleep.

6. Eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. You will have more energy and less cravings all through the day. Make sure you are getting the recommended protein, whole grains, some dairy, and fruits and vegetables, eating as much organic and locally grown food as possible. Think whole foods rather than packaged and processed.  Do not skip meals. Four to six smaller meals is recommended over 3 large ones.

7. Coffee dehydrates, which is another energy zapper, so drink an extra glass or two of water for each cup of java. You can also get water from things you eat, such as juicy fruits and vegetables. Aim for the rule of 8 to 10 glasses of water daily!

8. Manage your stress. All of the above will help you do so, but add prayer and meditation to the start of each day. Light a candle, say a prayer, and read a page from a devotional booklet. Journaling is also a great outlet for get whatever is obsessively circling your head.

9. Spend time in nature every day. This is a proven stress reducer, and we are hard-wired to be calmed by the sights and sounds of God's creation. Try keeping a nature journal. Even if you are no artist, drawing is also therapeutic. Any hand craft, in fact, will keep you centered. And of course, gardening is a moving meditation. Get your hands in the dirt!

10. Spend more time with the people who are important to you and less time plugged in. Get off the internet, shut off the TV, get off the phone. Get the television out of your bedroom, and no screen time within an hour of going to bed!

There is our 10 step plan to increased vitality, contentment, and fitness! And hopefully, in the process, we will look and feel better, whether or not the pounds melt away. (It goes without saying, but if you smoke, it's time to quit!) Please let me know if you will take the challenge with me! Any wellness plan has a greater chance of success if one has a partner. So sign up for email notification of new posts, and I'll keep you posted on my progress!