About 15 years ago ( geezzzzz - hard to believe it has been that long!), I was traveling around New Zealand with my sister. I pretty much dragged her to everything adventurous we could possible do and one was cave diving to see the glow worms. It was a very cold, yet interestingly fun adventure but the one thing I remember was the delicious hot pumpkin soup and buttery toast we had after our tour.

Sadly though, my pumpkin soup will not go down with such memories with my family. Although, I thought it was good and it was simple and nutritious, I figured I would post it.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 1Tbsp of olive oil

• 2 Tbsp of butter

• 1 onion, sliced

• 6 cups of pumpkin cut into larger chunks

• 3 cups of sliced potatoes

• 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock

• pinch of nutmeg

• 1 tsp chopped and fresh tarragon

• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 to 2 tsp of lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat up the oil and butter in a sauce pan. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes - stirring frequently.
2. Add the pumpkin and potatoes and stir well. Cover and let steam for approximately 10 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender. Don’t forget to stir!
3. Stir in stock, nutmeg, tarragon and salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes ( or until the vegetables are completely tender).
4. Let the soup cool and then pour into a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. Pour back in to the pan and add the milk. Heat slowly, add the lemon juice and adjust the seasonings if need be.
5. Serve the soup nice an hot!

Enjoy! and be well,

Vitamin D has been well researched over the years in its’ role in calcium absorption and metabolism of bone health. But recent research is suggesting that vitamin D may have an important role in many diseases thus playing some impact on our immune system.

One wonder about vitamin D is its association with flus. Why don’t we have many  flu  cases during the summer months? Is it possible that flu cases are associated with Vitamin D levels? The sun gives our bodies enough vitamin D ( when we are not slathering on copious amounts of sunscreen) during the sunny summer months, so maybe that is our answer to prevention of colds and flus during the winter months.

Something to ponder about about.

Doctor Greg and Greg fromt he Natures Cure Clinic are podcasting about Vitamin D and giving some important facts ( and myths!).

They talk about…

sunscreen - UVA and B rays

• We take in most of our needed vitamin D by the sun ( but there are some food sources - see below)
• UVB rays are needed to activate vitamin D but this is what we normally block when wearing sunscreen
• UVA rays are associated with cancer ( find a sun block that blocks these rays!)

food sources

• D3 is the active form and is mostly  found in animal sources, for example; fish ( yummy cod liver oil), halibut, sardines, salmon
  

• D2 is found in almost all plant sources but it needs to be converted to D3 in the body ( which is more work for the body)

optimal and reference ranges (interesting)

• D2 is mostly given as a prescription ( and at a high dose) although it is much more desirable to take the more usable and potent form D3
• Reference range: 30 to 100 ( based on disease)
• Optimal range ( naturopathic range: indicates health): get a baseline to see where you are, then supplement
• Toxicity risk? Minimal unless you are taking mega huge dosages ( less is usually more!)

dosages ( remember to work with a physician and get a baseline first)

• RDA 200 IU a day
• Optimal dosage: 1100 IU a day

and so much more

• so go ahead and listen to them!
  

I really enjoys listening to what they have to say and want to pass it on to you. Take the time to listen as they are witty, charming and extremely knowledgeable.

Happy listening!

PS If you are like us and do put on daily sunscreen, maybe some Liquid Sunshine - Pure Encapsulations Vitamin D3 liquid would be helpful for you. You can purchase through Emerson Ecologics on my shopping supplements page.

And really, coffee is not all bad for you and actually it has many health benefits. Moderation of course is the key and really a good cup a java is all you really need.

Well, now that I have been pretty consistent on my coffee sipping (every once in a while I will stop drinking and lucky for me I have no side effects), that I am beginning to get a little snobby with my coffee choices. And living in Hawaii, I am quite lucky to be living amongst some amazing coffee farmers.

I have recently discovered, Hawaii White Mountain Javaloha Coffee. It is smoothest, sweetest and loveliest cup of coffee, I have ever tasted. I am lucky because it is sold at our local farmers market but you can also purchase a bag from their site. I recommend you do for yourself or for someone you know who is a coffee lover.

Bring on the french press and be well,

Now I solely use sea salt in all my cooking.  It is much less refined than table salt ( less processing is always better), and it’s trace minerals give it its distinct taste and provides the body with some added nutrition.

There are many places that manufacture sea salts - from Hawaii to Cape Cod to France, however, I have yet to find the perfect one for me so if any of you have a sea salt you wear by please let me know!

Although sea salt has not been processed as much as table salt, it is important to eat it in moderation. It’s yummy though and just an extra sprinkle of it will surely to be enough to satisfy your taste buds.

Be well,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February4, 2010

Contact: Heather Manley, N.D.
Email: drheather@drheathernd.com
Phone: 808.640.1159

THE MOM’S CHOICE AWARDS® NAMES

HUMAN BODY DETECTIVES: THE LUCKY ESCAPE

SILVER MEDALIST IN FAMILY-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS

The Mom’s Choice Awards® has named Human Body Detectives: The Lucky Escape among the best in family friendly media, products and services by awarding them with silver medal in Juvenile Books (Level 1 - Ages 5 to in Multimedia Experiences.

Human Body Detectives is a series of educational adventure story-telling audio CDs and activity workbooks featuring Merrin and Pearl, sisters who find they have the magical ability to enter different systems in other people’s bodies to solve health mysteries. Through the action- packed fictional adventures, listeners learn how the various systems work and what best foods fuel that system. The accompanying workbook filled with games and puzzles reinforces what they kids have learned and helps them further understand the importance of maintaining a healthy body.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services. The Mom’s Choice Awards® seal helps families and educators navigate the vast array of products and services and make informed decisions.

An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of our panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of PBS’s Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling author, Priscilla Dunstan, creator of the Dunstan Baby Language; Patricia Rossi, host of NBC’s Manners Minute; Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C., host of the Wright Place™ TV Show; and Catherine Witcher, M.Ed., special needs expert and founder of Precision Education, Inc.

The evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost. The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and educators can feel confident in using.
Follow Merrin and Pearl through their imaginative adventures in the digestive system , The Lucky Escape, the immune system, Battle with the Bugs and their newest, releasing in the Spring, The Heart Pumping Adventure.

To learn more about Human Body Detectives visit HBD press page.

Contact us for more information on how the Human Body Detectives is used in educational programming.

Thai Chicken and Noodle Soup

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 skinless, boneless 6 ounce chicken breasts - chopped
• 1/2 TSP turmeric
• 1/4 TSP cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup creamed coconut
• 3 3/4 cups chicken stock, hot
• 2 TBSP lemon or lime juice
• 2 TBSP crunchy peanut butter ( I used smooth)
• 1 cup of egg noodles broken into small pieces
• 1 TBSP scallions
• 1 TPSP fresh cilantro
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Shredded coconut and fresh red chili to garnish ( I didn’t do this)

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic and then the chicken and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes
2. Sprinkle the creamed coconut into the hot chicken stock and stir until it dissolves. Pour onto the chicken meat and add the lemon or lime juice, peanut butter and egg noodles.
3. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the scallions and fresh cilantro, season well with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes longer.
4. If you garnish; heat the shredded coconut and chili in a small dry skillet fpr 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cocnut is light brown.
5. Pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle with garnish.

This serves about 4 people and the whole pot was gone in about 10 minutes! Next time I plan to double and make the garnish.

Pumpkin soup is next..sounds great to me but lets se what the family thinks!

Be well,

For those of you who have not seen the the clip, here you are!

Be well,

• most important reason: they are simple to cook
• they are nutritious
• they are yummy
• everyone loves them in my family ( although Pearl is slightly picky)

The first soup I tried was the Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup. Ok, it sounded good to me because I enjoy the occasional nibble of blue cheese on my salads. But when I started cooking it up I started to think about the others in my family. At the last minute I almost threw in goat cheese instead of the blue cheese but I thought about the movie, Julie and Julia, and decided to stick with the recipe.

I should have gone with my instincts.

It was ok but the kids really truly disliked it ( I would write their comments but hmmm…they were not pretty).

My second soup attempt was, Pasta and Chick-Pea Soup. And it was a family pleaser!

Here is the recipe:

• 4 TBSP of olive oil
• 1 minced onion
• 2 minced carrots
• 2 finely chopped celery stalks
• 14 ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 7 ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2/3 cups of pureed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 quarts of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 2 cups of dried conchiglie pasta
• salt and pepper to taste
• shavings of Parmesan cheese to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and add the chopped vegetables. Cook over low heat ( don’t forget to stir) for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add the chickpeas, cannellini beans, stir well, and cook for 5 minutes Stir in the purred tomatoes and water. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes
3. Add 2 cups of stock, the rosemary and salt an pepper. Bring to a boil and then smiimer for 1 hour.
4. Pour in the remaining stock, add the pasta and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes ( pasta is al dente!)
5. Remove the rosemary and serve with the Parmesan cheese.

I was telling a friend of mine this recipe and she thought some swiss chard, kale or spinach would be a great “colorful” addition. Brilliant, I thought. Next time I will definitely add it.

Be and eat well!

My favourite super nutrient packed and yummy foods!

1. avocados
2. fuji apples
3. blueberries
4. broccoli
5. almonds
6. red onions
7. tomatos
8. good olives
9. salmon
10. spinach
11. basil
12. cilantro
13. thyme
14. egg
15. goat cheese
16. brown rice bread
17. butter
18. olive oil
19. dark chocolate
20. licorice mint tea
21. coffee
22. cream
23. sugar ( for my coffee!)

*** these foods I readily have in my pantry or fridge***

The foods I would like to eat more of:

1. kale
2. swiss chard
3. cabbage
4. beans
5. more fruit - kiwi and such ( I am not much of a fruit eater except in my daily smoothies)
6. leeks
7. root vegetables: squash, pumpkin ( not potatoes though - not my thing)
8. seeds

I am sure I could think of more but for now, that is about it.

I try to purchase all my foods/produce from the local farmers and organic. I really feel that when I buy local and/or organic I am not only helping to keep my family healthy but also the planet.

Be well,

PS If you have any simple recipes to encourage me to eat more of the foods I want to eat more of, please send them my way!

Find more videos like this on Holistic Human®

Be well,