Welcome to the April issue
of “Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice.” Here you
will find information you can use on a timely topic,
healthy eating, recipes and more! I welcome your
feedback and questions. Please send them to
Janet@nourishyourlife.com Thank you!
April is the month to revive your rituals!
What rituals do
you have? Are they daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Many
of us have rituals that we brought from childhood into
our adult lives. For example, asking a Blessing before
each meal; always having salmon and asparagus on the
first day of Spring; or hugging a tree when the leaves
first begin to bud. Other rituals may mark the rites of
passage such as birth, puberty, adulthood, marriage,
parenthood, grandparenthood and death. Other rituals
have a specific purpose to the day. What rituals come to
your mind; are an integral part of your life?
Rituals are
different from habits. Donna Henes explains: “Brushing
your teeth is a habit. By contrast, almost anything you
do with an intention can become a ritual if it helps you
connect, release, heal, anchor, or honor some aspect of
you life.”
Do your rituals
still serve you? Is your heart leading to you to new
rituals? Suzanne Gerber gives a great recipe for a
ritual in Body and Soul magazine (Nov/Dec2005):
-
Choose an
intention. What do you wish to accomplish?
-
State your
intention out loud, or write it down.
-
Plan all the
details carefully and stay conscious of them as you
perform the ritual. Keep your words and actions
simple.
-
Pick symbols
and elements that are meaningful to you.
-
Create a space
by lighting candles, playing soothing music, burning
incense, or making other notable changes to your
environment that extinguishes the distractions of
everyday life.
-
Engage at least
two of your senses with environment, food, music, or
scents. The more senses you involve, the more levels
of meaning you will encourage to emerge.
-
Include a
clearly defined beginning and end-ring a bell or
blow out a candle, for example. You can also burn
incense or herbs to clear your space of negative
energy.
-
Give your
imagination and intuition free rein. Use steps in
rituals stories as guidelines. Use your own language
and symbols.
What is YOUR
favorite ritual? We would LOVE to hear about it! Write
to me at
janet@nourishyourlife.com.
My challenge
for you this month is to revisit your rituals. Which
ones still have meaning? Have any become a “habit” and
need to be revitalized? Is a new ritual calling to your
heart and soul? Write to me at
janet@nourishyourlife.com.. We would be honored to
hear about it.
Quote for
the month:
“In a complex
world, rituals can keep us grounded and appreciative of
the little things. From greeting the day, to sharing a
meal with your family, rites of honor celebrate the
everyday yet sacred events of our lives.”
By Suzanne
Gerber
Healthy
eating in April
Carrots are a
natural for April: AKA Easter Bunny? Although I am a
Christian, and we certainly do not celebrate the Easter
Bunny, you gotta admit he (she?) is adorable…And, any
little animal that promotes carrots, is on my list of
favorites!
Did you know
that carrots are actually a member of the parsley
family? The edible portion of the carrot is typically
orange, but the carrot plant can also be purple, maroon,
yellow or white! We most typically eat the carotene
carrot, characterized by its orange color. The orange
color is a sure sign that the carrot is rich in
beta-carotene, a phytochemical which our bodies turn
into vitamin A.
Vitamin A is a
family of fat-soluble compounds that play an important
role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell
division, and cell differentiation (in which a cell
becomes part of the brain, muscle, lungs, etc.)
Vitamin A helps
regulate the immune system, which helps prevent or fight
off infections by making white blood cells that destroy
harmful bacteria and viruses Vitamin A also may help
lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, fight
infections more effectively.
Vitamin A
promotes healthy surface linings of the eyes and the
respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts. When those
linings break down, it becomes easier for bacteria to
enter the body and cause infection.
Vitamin A also
helps maintain the integrity of skin and mucous
membranes, which also function as a barrier to bacteria
and viruses. From the Dietary Supplement Sheet of the
U.S. Govt. Pass the carrots, please!
My challenge
for you this month is to eat a carrot (or a handful
of mini-carrots) every day. Try them raw, in soup,
salads, casseroles, juiced and (of course) with quinoa!
Toasted Quinoa salad with Carrots
Serves 4-6
Salad
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 red pepper, diced
1 green onion, thinly slice
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or carrot tops)
Directions
Rinse quinoa
before cooking to remove the coating of a bitter
substance called saponins.
Dry toast in a skillet until grains begin to pop.
Bring water to a boil.
Stir in quinoa, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Allow quinoa to cool.
Stir in remaining ingredients
Add salad dressing (recipe below)
Dressing
ingredients
¼ cup lemon or
lime juice (I prefer lime)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic.
¼ cup chopped pumpkin seeds
Directions:
In medium bowl,
whisk together dressing ingredients
Add to cooled quinoa salad and (of course) ENJOY!
Nutrition
facts: 4, 6 servings: 126, 190 calories: 21, 31g carbs,
7.5, 5g protein, 4,2.5g fat
This recipe was
adapted from the Northern Quinoa Corporation. Check out
their website at
www.quinoa.com
