New Moon in Capricorn: Setting goals, Making Soup and Business as usual

HEY!  Thanks for your awesome response to the new blog concept.  Again, I am creating this to empower my friends and clients via health, nutrition, and astrological tidbits.  Learning to work with the current ASTRO and seeing how it effects you can be a great boon to your life and this New/Dark Moon in Capricorn ties in particularly well with the theme of health... GOD but doesn't everything?

Capricorn is depicted as a sea-goat.  Not to be confused with Aries the ram... 

Our bodies are our foundation which ALL other things build upon.  If you don't feel Astrology you can at least FEEL that!  You know it, you get it.  So let's look at this:  It is no accident that Capricorn, all about building, duty, method, structure, health and stability comes after our darkest days of the year.  We have reached the point in which we have turned the most inward, explored our darkest personal aspects and hopefully are on our way to CLEANING house, so to speak, for this BRILLIANT new year.  We can now move forward with a PLAN to kick ass and take names.  Whatever form this may take for you... And Venus just moved in to this area of the sky as well, making this process a lil' bit SWEETER.

New Moons are a great time for being quiet and putting clear intention into whatever it is you are doing,  since this will potentially effect this entire next Lunar cycle for you.  This particular one I have been feeling very antsy and a little all over the place, so I've tried to just do things I like to do and WORK on (Capricorn is all about WORK).  YES, that's why I'm doing this post...   and YES, that may also be why a "quick" look at my friend's astrological chart last night became a 4 hour project... whilst eating copious amounts of NOURISHING chicken soup (see the recipe below).   So you don't have to write anything out or get crazy with it but just try to be CLEAR.  What do you want?  And How will you get it?  By all means if you are feeling it, STRATEGIZE and make lists!!  But because Capricorn is kind of a dense and physical energy, just DOING what makes you feel good is also GREAT.  Good things will follow. Intentional, supportive and goal centered action is where it's at right now. YES!!

HEY and if you are feeling less than stellar physically because of the INSANE flu bug that is carrying on all over the place... you are kind of FORCED to do things that are good for your BOD.  I can empathize if this includes sitting around with a necessary box of tissue at arm's length- I went through that last week-  LORD- but on the upside you have the opportunity to HEAL yourself, so maybe there can be some good in the whole ordeal.  And in comes the SOUP...

This is probably one of the most nourishing things you can do for your body at this time.  It is warming and supportive for your immune system.  After all the veggie soup for days, I felt like I need some oily chicken broth to provide me with a little more sustenance.  It's a spin on traditional Chicken soup that is a bit spicier, and this is to help cut through any congestion that may be present in your body.  The daikon radish is good for this as well!  However, feel free to tone it down a notch - sub out the hot pepper and don't add the cayenne.  It can be a little drying for people who are already DRIED up in this winter season as it is.   But PERSONALLY I like it spicy.  EXTRA spicy.   And also, if you are Vegan-Vegetarian it is totally possible to make a big supportive pot of veggies that can help cure you, like my last recipe.  Just add in some extra grounding veggies like red potatoes, zucchini, squash, etc. and throw some cooked lentils in there as well, and use the herbs/spices I suggest.

SPICED UP CHICKEN SOUP FOR IMMUNE SUPPORT

I used a 5 quart pot.  If you are going to use a larger 10 quart pot you should double up everything.

INGREDIENTS:



PLEASE USE ORGANIC CHICKEN, because LORD HAVE MERCY that other stuff is SKETCHY.

 -A chicken leg, cut into two parts (I got the butcher at my local shop to do this because I don't have the UMPH or proper knives to do this part), with the skin removed 
 -A boneless, skinless chicken breast
 -1 Red Onion 
 -2 to 3 carrots 
 -4 sticks of Celery-Kale!!!!
 -6 shiitake caps 
 -An entire small clove of Garlic, peeled 
 -1 serrano chile pepper or 2 jalapenos 
 -3 inches of Wakame seaweed, cut into little shreds (I put this in a lot of stuff.  It's great if you are making a veggie version of the soup because it provides that b12 that is hard to get from non-meaty sources)
 - 6 inch piece of Daikon radish diced into 1/2" slices 

 Herbs/Spices:
 - A couple Tsp/cubes Veggie Bouillon (this is not necessary but I had a couple to use up)
 - 2 healthy handfuls of fresh Parsley
 - 2 healthy handfuls of fresh Cilantro
 - 1 and 1/2 Tsp. Cumin
 - 1/4 of a Tsp Cayenne 
 - 1 Tsp Oregano- 1/2 Tsp Thyme
 - 1 bay leaf- Sea salt for taste



1.  Fill up your 5 quart pot with water leaving an inch at the top.  Throw in your skinless chicken leg, chopped in 2 pieces, with the bone intact.  The bone provides much of the flavor.  Dice up the breast into small pieces and throw this in as well.2. Dice up your all the Veggies on the list (excluding the Kale and fresh herbs).  Throw them into the pot.  Drop in your veggie bouillon. Turn the heat on to Medium and close the lid until the soup begins to simmer, just below a boil.






3. When you take the lid off and the soup is just beginning to bubble, turn the heat down a bit, and throw in all of your dried spices (cumin, cayenne, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt)  and 1 handful of each of the fresh herbs.  STIR IT UP!!  Save the other 2 handfuls of fresh herbs, along with the kale, for when your soup is ready and the heat is turned off.  This will give a nice fresh flavor and keep some of the nutrients in the kale intact.  


4. Heat at mid to low temperature for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.  

5. When you are ready to grub down, turn off the heat and throw in your fresh herbs.  When I'm eating alone, I often just cut up enough kale (a couple leaves) to throw into my personal soup bowl, and don't put any into the actual pot.  This keeps the kale fresh in the fridge, and you can do this each time you have a new bowl.  

6. SRIRACHA OPTIONAL... SORT OF

New Soup Rule: YOU HAVE TO SHARE!!

BONUS!!!!!  When you've eaten half of your soup and you are bored after a day or two- or in the case that you forget that your soup is still on the stove being simmered at a low temp and everything gets super cooked (this is what I did the day after I made this!)  Make Chicken Stock out of the original soup, add more water, veggies, and spices, and make a whole new batch of soup.  Throw in some more chicken breast if you want.  

Enjoy...

Thanks for stopping by and supporting.  Come back soon lovelies!

Sun in Capricorn: Stabilize, Nourish, and BE WELL

Welcome!  Happy New Year...  Here we are in 2013.  We all made it.

Now, time to do the good work.  I've created this blog because I am passionate about Health, Wellness, and Food as Medicine.  After the over excitement and parties of the Holy-daze, I succumbed to a yearly/seasonal flu that carried on and off for weeks, which served as a great reminder and test of my nutritional knowledge.  What to buy?  What to cook?  Where to go?  It can be so overwhelming when your immune system is in war-mode, BUT still- I managed to HAUL to the Farmers market and Rainbow Grocery (aka. FOOD MECCA) to cure myself.  Cold schmold.

I know many of you are battling colds, flus, and post-holiday blues, too.  Boo.

My favorite local honey company! You can actually get honey local
to your neighborhood/hill in San Francisco!!

So I decided to create this list of things to buy- pretty basic stuff- which can help you, my friends, heal up proper.  I've been eating this for DAYS. Once you have these items, below the list are two SIMPLE recipes that I guarantee will help nurse you back to good health and BURN away whatever bug has got a hold on you. I'm also going to include a short list of helpful herbs, tinctures, and a couple essential oils that are reasonably priced and can be of extreme assistance to your sickly immune system.  There are a TON of things out there that can help, and the things I list are just a few that I've had great experience with and tend to be easily accessible.

(FYI: I've also been eating at least one full meal a day of brown rice, quinoa, millet & some type of bean w/ mixed veggies like squash/chard/zucchini... SEASONAL = AWESOME)

JENNIE'S ULTIMATE CURE-ME-NOW SICK LIST:
(buy organic PLEASE!! but if you can't... wash wash wash!)

-Kale (her royal highness)
-Carrots
-Red Bell Pepper
-Scallions, Green Onions
-Garlic MUST HAVE
-Ginger MUST HAVE
-Shiitake Mushrooms (fresh or dried- they may be pricey but they are immuno-boosting POWER)
-Wakame seaweed
-Cayenne pepper, dried
-Lemon
-Cilantro
-Miso paste (unpasteurized- I like barley and chickpea the best!!)
-Raw, unprocessed Honey as LOCAL & STRONG AS POSSIBLE

Also a fan of their Red miso as well-  you don't
need to use as much per serving.

YUP- TOLD YOU IT WAS SUPER BASIC GUYS!

HERBAL MEDICINE HELP BELOW! FOLLOWED BY TWO BASIC RECIPES!

Herbs/Tinctures that help heal:

Look for a specific immune defense tincture at your local hippie dive/health food stop- one that contains Echinacea and Elderberry (among other things).  Herb Pharm makes a good one.  Echinacea actually helps boost white blood cell production.  YUP!   More recently I've also used a Reishi and Astralagus tincture in conjunction with my Echinacea and Elderberry concoction.  Reishi is one kick-ass super fantastico immunoboosting life enhancing mushroom that pretty much does all things awesome.  I recommend it.  Astralagus root is considered a QUEEN in the world of tonifying herbs and does wonders for your immune system when fighting off a bug- it is particularly handy at combating a fever.  Tonifying = supportive and nourishing, and suitable for consumption on a regular basis.  I definitely recommend taking a immune support tincture as a prevention measure in the future.  Especially when traveling or after a dip into party-party-lower immunity mode.  Not that I am experienced in these things... Ahem...

Essential Oil Must-haves for your sickness:

-NUMERO UNO- EUCALYPTUS!!  This helps break up congestion in your respiratory system.  Steam it, sniff it, put a drop in a teaspoon of unrefined sesame, sunflower, or olive oil and STICK IT IN YOUR NOSE. This is the best ever.  You will thank me later.  Also rub it on your chest.  It is antibacterial and will help fend off whatever strange colony/civilization may be plotting to take over your respiratory tract.  Make sure you use a carrier oil, ok?!  It's strong.  Nice additions to a chest rub oil are rosemary and peppermint.  Refreshing and ANTIsickness.  Love it.

-OREGANO -  This is the stuff miracles are made of.  Yes, Oregano. I believe this component is a key factor in the chicken soup cure hubbub.  The essential oil of oregano, when consumed INTERNALLY, has amazing antibiotic and antibacterial effects.  Put a few drops into 8 oz of water, or into your soup!!! but don't go overboard as this stuff is powerful and will potentially throw off the pH of your tummy and intestinal flora if you overdo it.

-LAVENDER, good for everything, literally.  Antibacterial and Antifungal like our friend Eucalyptus.  Personally I used it this time around to help calm me down at night when I couldn't sleep and then got mad that I couldn't sleep which didn't help me sleep at all.

Spicy Lemon Ginger Tea

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH EATING HONEY STRAIGHT OUT THE JAR!  IT'S MEDICINE!  I SWEAR!

  Peel a 1 to 2 inch piece of ginger and dice it up.  Throw it in some filtered water (if you have filtered water- if not throw in in whatever water you have!!)  Let it boil and then when it does, turn it down to a simmer for AT LEAST 20 minutes.  Ginger needs this time for all the magically amazing greatness to ooooooze out.  While you are waiting patiently, put a teaspoon of honey into your cup and sprinkle it with cayenne pepper, and squeeze a big lemon slice into it.  When the hot ginger water is ready, pour it into your cup, stir and enjoy!!  and then REPEAT THIS ALL DAY EVERYDAY until you are better.  I'm not joking.

Magical Mushroom Miso Soup

That's my little girl dog Bodhi.  She's a rascal. 

WHEN IN DOUBT, ALWAYS ADD MORE CAYENNE & GINGER!!!

So I'm pretty neurotic about the order in which things are added to the soup.  And this is because each of the components has its own sensitivity to heat and we want to get MAXIMUM medicinal value out of each.  You can add different veggies to this but just don't overcook the greens! Not the greens!

STEP AWAY FROM THE MISO PASTE.   YOU DO NOT BOIL OR COOK MISO PASTE.  Just clearing that up now.  You will add that at the end.

-Dice up a 1 to 2 inch piece of ginger, and at least 4 cloves of Garlic.  Also dice up at least 4 good size Shiitakes, a good amount of kale leaves, 2 carrots, a couple pieces of scallion and a red bell pepper.  

-Fill up a medium size soup pot (if you are going to use a bigger pot,  awesome, just use a lot more ginger and garlic!) with water and throw in the GINGER
ONLY to start, as well as the dried Wakame seaweed if you have it.  Let this come to a boil, and then turn to a simmer.

-At this point, throw in your CARROTS, GARLIC and SHIITAKES.  Let this simmer for awhile, 20 to 30 minutes at least.

-After that time has passed, turn OFF the heat and throw in the Scallions, Red Bell Pepper and Kale.  
The hot water will cook these down just enough to make them a little easier for your body to break down and digest, but will also preserve a good amount of the vitamin content.

NOW put a teaspoon (or maybe a little more if you bought the white mellow) of miso paste in a good size soup bowl with a half a cup of water.  Mash it up until it becomes mostly liquid. Now, you can ladel in some of your magically amazing shiitake ginger garlic soup!!  Mix it up.  Add CAYENNE and CILANTRO and if you need a little more salty- but not TOO salty- a couple drops of Shoyu/Tamari/Soy Sauce.

This is clearly super adaptable.  Beets, Daikon, Celery, Broccoli, Anything. Throw it in! (at the right time OF COURSE)

YUMMMMM.

VOILA!

Hopefully this helps.  Next blog post will be about the DELICIOUS partial juice cleanse that commenced this week. And probably some astrology talk, too... Since the New Moon in HEALTHY Capricorn is on Friday.