Avocado Quinoa Pilaf

This recipe is simple and easy, yet tasty and packed full of nutritious goodness. You can add any other fresh veggies from your garden or farmers market as well, such as fresh chopped kale or grape tomatoes.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic

2 1/2 cups quinoa, soaked and rinsed ( I used a blend of both red and white)

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

1/2 tsp porcini salt (get mine here.… handcrafted with wild Wisconsin gourmet porcini!)

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tbsp lemon juice

4-6 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1 ripe avocado, chopped

1/3 cup cucumber, chopped

1/3 cup bell peppers, chopped small (orange, yellow, red, and/or green)

1 can hearts of palm, sliced into rounds

 

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.

Stir in the quinoa, broth, and salt.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Remove from the heat and stir in tomatoes, parsley, thyme, avocado, cucumber, hearts of palm, peppers, lemon juice and feta. Serve warm and enjoy!

Warmly,

Megan (Kerkhoff) Normansell, CHC, AADP, CFH

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

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Interested in healing your body naturally?
Get the answers you’ve been searching for, and heal your body for good… naturally.  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. 

5 “Healthy” Foods That Aren’t Healthy at all

Most of us want to buy better-for-us foods when we can, but it’s a tough world out there. Product labels are misleading, and many of our foods have changed significantly in the past couple decades. To help you out, the following are the 5 most common unhealthy foods you’ll want to watch out for:

1. Salmon
You want a tasty, lean protein, and of course you always hear that salmon is full of good fats that are beneficial for our heart, joints, and brains. However, most people are choosing genetically modified and farmed salmon, without realizing this “food” is completely different from it’s wild-harvested cousin. Farmed salmon is actually higher in pro-inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids, and low in anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. Check your labels and always buy wild.

2. Butter Substitutes
For years people have been looking for substitutes for butter, believing myths that it is bad for your heart, it makes you fat, it raises cholesterol, or it is just plain terrible for our bodies. Now our market is flooded with dozens of butter substitutes- all terribly unhealthy. Margarine is a trans-fat, and is infamous for causing breast cancer, colon cancer, and arteriosclerosis. Equally unsavory substitutes include products like Smart Balance Buttery Spread, Promise Take Control, Earth Balance, I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter, and sprays like Parkay and Pam. These products are generally loaded with genetically modified vegetable oils which are linked to cancer, artificial colors which can cause behavioral problems and nerve damage, preservatives like potassium sorbate which can cause digestive issues and nutrient loss, and trans fats. I recommend buying the real deal, as there are so many benefits to real butter. If you are dairy-free, try coconut oil as a healthy substitute.

3. Gatorade & Powerade
Sports drinks are some of the unhealthiest products you’ll ever find in a grocery store. There are more toxic chemicals than there are electrolytes. The most appalling ingredient is brominated vegetable oil- banned in over 100 countries for causing infertility, birth defects, memory loss, nerve disorders, and cardiac arrhythmia. I always hear- “But it has electrolytes!” If you were to add electrolytes to paint thinner, would it suddenly make it a healthy paint-thinning drink? Nope! The presence of electrolytes does not make any product any less toxic. I always recommend nature’s ultimate sports drink- coconut water. Nirvana is my absolute favorite brand, and it tastes like pure heaven.

4. Cow Milk
Nope, nope, nope. Let me count the reasons why this beverage is a recipe for disaster. Found in all non-organic grocery store milks: pesticides, herbicides, synthetic growth hormones, naturally occurring growth hormones, antibiotics, pus (yes, pus!), xanthine oxidase (a free radical), etc. Which translates to cancer, heart disease, inflammation, antibiotic resistance, allergies, impaired immunity, and many more. There is also a complete lack of nutrients that should be in milk: enzymes, beneficial bacteria, & vitamins (unless added synthetically, like vitamin D). If you want real, nutritious milk, you’ll want to drink it the way nature intended, the way milk always was since the beginning of time until we humans started messing it up about 50 years ago- real, unprocessed, organic, and raw. Don’t do dairy? Try flax milk, hemp milk, or almond milk.

5. “Whole Grain” Cereals
Cheerios, Fiber One Cereal, Mini Wheats, Special K, Kix, All Bran, Chex, etc. Not a single one is healthy. These are prime examples of processed grains- while they do start as whole grains, the end product is nowhere close. They are stripped of nutrients during processing, which is why you’ll see fiber, synthetic b vitamins and iron are added back in to make them appear nutritious. Processed grains like these greatly contribute to obesity and diabetes. The extrusion process, by which almost all cereals are made, is also considered controversial. In Paul Stitt‘s book “Fighting the Food Giants,” he discusses the results of a study found locked up at a major food company, suggesting the extrusion process makes the grain’s proteins toxic. The alternative is easy- just make real, unprocessed grains for breakfast. I make a quick quinoa cereal that I reheat every morning, made with whole quinoa, blueberries, raw honey, hemp seeds, flax milk, dates, and vanilla. It’s delicious, and contains over SIXTY naturally occurring nutrients, putting these store-bought cereals to shame.

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. 

Lose weight, boost libido, and stop hair loss with this unique grain

It’s arguably the world’s most nutritious grain, and most well-kept secret. Introducing the tiniest grain on earth- teff!

Native to Ethiopia, this gluten-free grain is packed with b-vitamins, fiber, protein, and minerals. It is also environmentally-friendly, requiring very little water to thrive and sprouts in just over a day. Just one pound of teff can grow an entire acre of the grain, while it takes 100 lbs or more of wheat berries to grow an acre of wheat.

Teff’s rich, nutty, molasses-like flavor makes it ideal for porridges, muffins, and cookies. Teff flour can be used in soups and gravies as a savory natural thickener. Look for it in your local health food store.

5 Health Benefits of Teff:

1. Teff is high in a resistant starch, which is a type of fiber that helps to balance blood sugar and manage diabetes. This benefit makes teff an ideal grain for weight loss, as high blood sugar levels will trigger your body to store fat. Stabilized blood sugar will help keep energy levels sustained and prevent sugar cravings.
2. Teff can help relax and soothe the muscles. Chances are you’ll find relief from restless leg, sleeping troubles, or muscle cramping if you eat teff regularly.
3. The minerals in teff can help reduce your risk of a stroke, as well as lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
4. Teff is extraordinarily high in copper, which is a vital mineral for energy production and properly functioning taste buds. Did you know that low copper levels can cause premature hair loss? Studies have found that increasing your copper intake can stop hair loss and premature greying, so eat your teff!
5. You cannot absorb copper without zinc, so of course nature always supplies a perfect balance in whole foods. The high zinc content found in teff is vital for immune system, tissue healing, and reproductive function. Low zinc levels can cause infertility in both men and women. A diet high in zinc can actually give you a great libido boost!

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