Buttery Wild Mushroom Pilaf with Asparagus – Wild gourmet healing dinner for $.35 per serving!

 

Tonight’s dinner is a lovely sprouted brown rice risotto with bits of peas and carrots, cooked with some chopped wild wood nettle, which can be used just as spinach or kale would but is much more nutritious. I sauteed the morels (can use any edible wild mushroom) until golden in a bit of butter and Himalayan salt.  Simply sub the butter for something like olive oil to make this vegetarian dish vegan. The pilaf is sprinkled with chives from my garden & flowers from the creeping charlie “weed” in my yard. A garnish of another delicious “weed” in my yard- goldenrod shoots.

Not only is this the type of gourmet meal you’d only find at an upscale restaurant, it’s more nutritious than just about anything you’ll find at a grocery store, and nearly free of cost. Every ingredient has healing properties! What is your experience with foraging- have you picked berries, morels, or asparagus? Let us know! If you’d like to learn more about wild food foraging, check out Wild Food Wisconsin & Aayus Holistic Health Services on facebook.  And helping people live healthier & happier and tackle even the trickiest health issues is my specialty as a naturopathic practitioner- don’t hesitate to contact me at megan@aayushealth.com for your free consult!

– – Goldenrod is good for colds, flu, inflammation, allergies (it’s an antihistamine, not an allergen), & UTIs.
– – Nettles are food for high blood pressure, kidney stones, allergies (also antihistamine), anemia, hay fever, are restorative, antihemorrhagic, nutritive, & promotes lactation & circulation
– – Morels are a great source of vitamin D, are anti-cancer & have been found to reduce the side effects of chemo/radiation
– – Asparagus is a diuretic, supports kidney function, prostate health, helps to prevent cataracts, supports the liver, supports sexual function & helps with muscle recovery
– – Brown rice is great for digestion and helps to normalize bowel function after diarrhea. It helps lower cholesterol, reduce risk of bowel cancer, lower diabetes risk
– – Chives are good for digestion, anemia, relieving gas, help prevent heart disease and stroke, and help your body to digest good fats.
– – Creeping Charlie is anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and has been used traditionally for ulcers, asthma, and clearing up skin. It can be used as a hopping agent to make beer.

Thanks for visiting!

Megan Normansell (Kerkhoff), CHC, AADP, CFH

Certified Holistic Practitioner/Holistic Nutrition/Herbalist/Wild Edibles Guide

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more recipes and healthy living ideas!

Get Even Healthier!
Get the answers you’ve been searching for, and heal your body for good… naturally and holistically.  We have successfully helped thousands of people across the country live a healthier life than they ever could have imagined, and specialize in dozens of different health concerns. Curious? Schedule your complimentary consultation with me today! Read the incredible reviews we’ve received over the years here!

http://www.aayushealth.com     –     megan@aayushealth.com    –    920-327-2221

Copyright Megan Normansell 2019 All rights reserved. 

 

My first morel of the year, used in my dinner! (it’s giant!!)

The wild wood nettles

Wild Grape Juice (The real stuff!)

Yesterday I was invited to a friend’s property to do a plant walk with her.  Lucky for me she had more fruit than she knew what to do with!  I left with a nice supply of autumn olives and wild grapes.

We love to eat the autumn olives as a snack, or mix with local yogurt.

After getting rid of the bad grapes,  I ended up with about 40 oz. Straight to the juicer!

Wild grapes are an excellent source of catechins, anthocyanins and resveratrol, as well as many vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and other phytonutrients. This gives this fruit anti-oxidant, stroke preventative, anti-allergenic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Because they are so tart,  I added 3 organic apples to the mix to sweeten.  The end result: what a treat!  My toddler gulped it down.

Thanks for visiting!

Megan Normansell (Kerkhoff), CHC, AADP, CFH

Certified Holistic Practitioner/Holistic Nutrition/Herbalist/Wild Edibles Guide

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more recipes and healthy living ideas!

Get Even Healthier!
Get the answers you’ve been searching for, and heal your body for good… naturally and holistically.  We have successfully helped thousands of people across the country live a healthier life than they ever could have imagined, and specialize in dozens of different health concerns. Curious? Schedule your complimentary consultation with me today! Read the incredible reviews we’ve received over the years here!

http://www.aayushealth.com     –     megan@aayushealth.com    –    920-327-2221

 

Copyright Megan Normansell 2019

Cilantro Detox for Cilantro Haters (and lovers!)

You see this picture?  It pains me. Deep down to my very soul. Why?  The acrid odor filling my kitchen. Even worse- the FLAVOR.  Oh the terrible flavor!

You see,  I am a part of a rather large group of people who DESPISES cilantro. Apparently there’s some sort of gene that  makes you either deeply adore the flavor or be completely repulsed by it.  Now, I love the IDEA of it.  Cilantro really is such a gift- it gently chelates heavy metals like mercury, lead, and aluminum from the body. It contains phytochemicals that are antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral, shown in studies to destroy salmonella and the common cold. It’s anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant. Studies have shown it fights various forms of cancer. It’s been shown to have a calming effect, and be beneficial for sleep and anxiety.

So how do you get the benefits if you don’t particularly look forward to eating it?

My husband got the DTaP shot last year, so I promptly put him on a regimen of encapsulated cilantro to detox the aluminum, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, and mercury found in the shot. Pills are nice, but they do get pricey. And because they are dried and not fresh, you can lose some of the potency over time.

My daughter was also recently lead poisoned from the trim, doors, and bathtub in our home, which led me to try to find an easy way to administer the cilantro to her.

So on my last trip to Woodmans, I bought a giant bunch of fresh organic cilantro. It was really cheap. I’m not about to ruin perfectly good food by seasoning it with the herb, so I figured- hey, why not juice it? Then I can take a quick shot of it with a chaser every day and be done with it. (Honestly, I’d rather do a shot of cheap vodka than a shot of cilantro, but so be it.)

I added a bit of fresh pineapple to liven up the flavor a bit, and it surprisingly ended up making quite a bit of juice. Enzymes, phytochemicals, and good bacteria all intact, love it. I decided to store some in my fridge, and then make frozen cubes with the rest of it to preserve it long term. I love using this preservation method with juices, infusions, herbs, and even my homemade elderberry syrup. (You should see my husband’s face when he goes to the freezer hoping for ice cubes and all he finds is elderberry cubes. He’s probably going to hate me when he sees my new concoction. Ha! Oh, I adore you Matt- sorry!!)

So now I have a long-term supply of concentrated, healing cilantro juice. I made another juice with fresh pineapple and cucumber, and added a bit of the cilantro to it for my daughter. As you can see, she LOVES it. Bottoms up!

Warmly,

Megan Normansell (Kerkhoff), CHC, AADP, CFH

Certified Holistic Practitioner/Holistic Nutrition/Herbalist/Wild Edibles Guide

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more recipes and healthy living ideas!

Get Even Healthier!
Get the answers you’ve been searching for, and heal your body for good… naturally and holistically.  We have successfully helped thousands of people across the country live a healthier life than they ever could have imagined, and specialize in dozens of different health concerns. Curious? Schedule your complimentary consultation with me today! Read the incredible reviews we’ve received over the years here!

http://www.aayushealth.com     –     megan@aayushealth.com    –    920-327-2221

Top 10 reasons to eat raw walnuts

Have you ever had the opportunity to indulge in fresh, raw walnuts? Most of the nuts that we see in the grocery store are processed and heated; real nuts are a bit more rare and typically only found at health food stores. When raw, they supply valuable fats, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that have powerful medicinal properties. Heat them or expose them to light or oxygen for long periods of time and those delicate nutrients are destroyed. I was also pleasantly surprised at the difference in flavor when I made the switch to unprocessed nuts- it’s well worth the extra shopping trip! Why walnuts in particular, you might ask? Not only are they one of the few nuts that have omega 3-fatty acids, they are THE highest in omega 3s of the entire nut world. The typical Amerian diet is severely lacking in this essential fat, so it’s an important one to consciously incorporate into your daily diet.

The following are my top 10 reasons to eat raw walnuts:

1. Walnuts are great for joints. They provide lubrication and cushioning.

2. Ever notice that a walnut looks like the two hemispheres of the brain? Well it just so happens they were made that way for good reason; they are excellent for cognitive function and memory support. Research also shows that walnuts can improve depression.

3. They are rich in polyunsaturated fats, which lower bad cholesterol while keeping good cholesterol intact. Walnuts also lower blood pressure. Between these two benefits, walnuts may reduce your risk of heart disease.

4. Walnuts are anti-inflammatory. This provides benefits to anyone with chronic pain, such as those suffering from arthritis or fibromialgia.

5. Research has shown that walnuts help prevent breast cancer and slow tumor growth.

6. Walnuts contain the highest levels of popyphenolic antioxidants of any edible nut, making it a fierce free-radical scavenger.

7. Walnuts help keep your skin and hair healthy and prevents dryness.

8. Men: super-charge your fertility. Two handfuls of walnuts per day have been shown to increase the motility, vitality, and morphology of sperm.

9. Eat walnuts, lose weight. The fat, protein, and fiber of walnuts contribute to a sense of satiety, reducing your urge to snack on junk food. The fats found in walnuts have been shown to assist the body in using fat stores as an energy source. And when you get the good fats in your diet, you’ll find that you are not craving bad fats quite as much, such as potato chips or fried foods.

10. The healing properties of walnuts are so powerful that the FDA is currently trying to get walnuts listed as a drug. I kid you not! I couldn’t make this up! Read more about these recent shenanigans here: FDA Says Walnuts are Drugs

Warmly,

Megan Normansell (Kerkhoff), CHC, AADP, CFH

Certified Holistic Practitioner/Holistic Nutrition/Herbalist/Wild Edibles Guide

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more recipes and healthy living ideas!

Get Even Healthier!
Get the answers you’ve been searching for, and heal your body for good… naturally and holistically.  We have successfully helped thousands of people across the country live a healthier life than they ever could have imagined, and specialize in dozens of different health concerns. Curious? Schedule your complimentary consultation with me today! Read the incredible reviews we’ve received over the years here!

http://www.aayushealth.com     –     megan@aayushealth.com    –    920-327-2221