Childhood myths- the wrong ones are right

Let's talk about some childhood myths. If we are raised in the average American Home, we are told early on that Santa brings the presents on Christmas Eve, the Easter Bunny hides eggs and brings baskets on Easter Morning, The Tooth Fairy collects your baby teeth and exchanges them for money, the opposite sex has cooties and there is a Monster living under your bed that can be awakened by flushing the toilet in the dark.You believe in these with your heart of hearts as being true. Then you are told other things that sound implausible and you automatically relegate them to the stuff of myth, such as  bed bugs and Water on The Knee.  Within the last two years I have found the implausible things to be very real - bed bugs are an epidemic in major cities and Water on the Knee is a fairly common  ailment with those experiencing knee injuries . The latter I learned to be true of my right knee, and the result of the injury I sustained recently.

There are  options in mainstream medicine for this condition, involving things like cortisone shots, surgical drainage and other dubious things.None of which I feel are safe, considerable or actually healing, so I am embarking on an herbal and alternative medicine course of action to treat and heal this. Ice, rest and elevation are indicated ( as opposed to my previous actions of try to move it more, use the heating pad -that does not work- and feeling guilty about not exercising more). Herbs like comfrey , nettles and willow bark will be used freely as will massage therapy. It appears that once this condition begins, there is a constant chance that it will reemerge. All the more reason why activities like yoga and Tai Chi are in, running , all forms of jumping and many forms of twisting movements are permanently out. I will be honest- I am NOT at all happy with this reality. To be completely honest, my fitness goals are simply to become pain free and mobile enough to once again clean my house and walk in the grocery store. That is what I am working to achieve now. Another part of the healing involves eating nourishing fats, protein and bone broth whenever possible. Bone broth has substances that aid in the health and repair of joints and many other body tissues. Do you think it is a coincidence that things like rampant arthritis , osteoporosis and tooth loss became more prevalent when we were all told the lie about how bad fat was for us ? ( Depression, Heart Disease, Diabetes and Obesity also became epidemic when everyone moved to high fiber and low fat). When bone broth was replaced with fat free stocks out of a can or carton, we began to rob our bodies of vital nutritional substances.

Last night for dinner was another in a quest to serve nutritionally dense foods on my table. Bones and roots- perfect foods for wintertime. Root veggies are good for you, but too many get stuck on just potatoes . There is a wide variety of roots to eat, and many are nutrient dense as well as tasty. One nice way to work with the bitter taste that some carry is a creamy mustard sauce, such as the following :

Turnips in Creamy Mustard Sauce Serves 4

2 Tbs.  Butter
  1 1/2 Pounds  turnips  cleaned and cut into 1 inch chunks
   Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
  1 Tsp Splenda
  1 Cup  more or less chicken  stock( I used bone broth)
  2 Tbs.  Dijon mustard
  1/2 cup  fresh cream

Heat the butter on medium heat in a saucepan  When the butter is hot, add the vegetables, give them a toss and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Allow the vegetables to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until they begin to brown and they are nicely cooked.
When the vegetables are lightly browned, add in the sugar and the stock to cover the vegetables completely and turn the heat up to high and achieve a boil
Allow the vegetables to boil, giving them only a stir or two, uncovered for about 30 minutes. They are ready when the vegetables are shiny and browned and sitting in a little puddle of syrupy liquid. Turn the heat down and stir in the mustard and cream until it is well combined .  Serve warm

This seemed to be a good in place of potato sort of side. We all really enjoyed the flavor. It went well with the spinach we also had and made a nice complement to these simple marinated chicken drumsticks. Any chicken parts could be used here, simply adjust cooking time accordingly. The flavor was infused through the meat nicely- this is one of my new favorite recipes !

Lemon Garlic Drumsticks- serves 3
 6 drumsticks (about two pounds)
  Marinade:
  2teaspoons  dry mustard
  3  large  garlic cloves -- peeled and finely minced
  1 teaspoon  sea salt
  Lots of freshly ground pepper
  Zest of one large organic lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
  Juice of about half of the lemon
  3 tablespoons  olive oil

1: Combine marinade ingredients and mix well. Rinse and drip dry drumsticks. In a large ziploc or bowl place drumsticks and pour over marinade. Mix to combine well. Place in refrigerator, covered and marinade for a 2-12 hours.
2-When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place drumsticks in a small casserole dish and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until done. The juices should run clear when pierced with a knife.

Comforts on a winter eve

Slowly I turned...step by step....

Okay. Maybe not so many turns, but definitely slowly and step by step. I managed to get the pedometer on correctly , and went about my day with the desire to take at least 1000 steps  . The number is only an impressive goal when you factor in recovery- normally 1,000 steps would be a very bad thing. The pedometer does not display the number on it ( Nintendo DS Personal Trainer Walking) , so you wait till the end of the day when you upload your data to find the number. I knew it was less than 1,000 because it had not turned green, but  it was sort of like Christmas Anticipation to discover the actual number. Drumroll....699 ! Hey- it's a start. A point to build from as I regain strength. Consider how excited people get when a baby takes it's first step. This is sort of similar :-)

I made two different dishes for dinner yesterday. Being the second of three Ember Days, it was another opportunity to go meatless, yet keep it nourishing. Meatless does not mean vegetarian, so you have opportunities to incorporate bone broths into your meals.Bone Broths are so healthful that there is a saying in South America that it can raise the dead. It's liquid gold, and can turn the simplest ingredients into very nourishing dishes . I used it ion both of these,

Cheesy Polenta-Veggie Bake

6 Cups bone broth ( I used chicken)

1 lb Aged Cheddar

3 Eggs, beaten

1 t salt

1 1/2 Cups Polenta

1 Large Red Pepper, cut into small pieces

2 Cups Shitake Mushrooms, chopped

1 t Paprika

Preheat over to 350 degrees

Bring water to a boil. Add polenta, stirring constantly until thickens. Turn heat down and add remaining ingredients. Stir until well blended.Pour into 13 x 9 pan and bake uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Turnips in Creamy Mustard Sauce ( a Mark Bitterman inspired dish)

2 Tbs. Butter
1-1/2 Pounds turnips peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tsp. raw sugar ( I used Splenda)
1 Cup more or less chicken stock ( I used chicken bone broth),
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
parsley
1/2 cup fresh cream

Heat the butter on medium heat in a saucepan of a size that will allow the vegetables to sit on its bottom in a single layer.  When the butter is hot, add the vegetables, give them a toss and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Allow the vegetables to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until they begin to brown and they are nicely cooked.

Both were perfect for a cold, wintry day . The polenta reminded me of mac and cheese in a way , being creamy and cheesy with a comfort food quality. The turnips were absolutely delicious ! The sugar and mustard removed any bitter twang of the vegetable and the cream gave it a comforting mouth feel. I thought of the people in Sweden at this time of the year, living in almost total darkness for a couple of weeks. I could see why turnips are a popular vegetable in their cuisine- packs a potent bite like the cold darkness of winter itself. Both are going to show up again on our table.

Going to press for more steps, and maybe a go at the little pedals without a seat thing.