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Simple & Fast Spring Recipes

3/30/2020

During the spring season, we usually are getting outside after being cooped up all winter! This year, because of the shelter in place ruling in a lot of US states, we are going stir crazy! So many of my tribe are asking me to give them indoor activities to keep fit while sequestered. They are also cooking together as a family! The internet is full of simple, fast and healthy spring meals! My motto is, "Dinner in 30 minutes or less, or we make reservations!" Well, all the restaurants are closed, so we must be creative, innovative, and we must conserve our funds. Most everyone I know is on unemployment right now. I have been laid off from 3 jobs where I regularly earn income.

As a busy mom, life and wellness coach, author and still waitressing at night (during non-virus times), I have to make smart and simple choices for nourishing my family. I don't usually use exact measurements but taste as I go along. I do consult my recipe development expert when developing recipes for cookbooks. That would be my daughter, Sage who is a teenager and has been going to cooking school for years.

My spring recipe is red snapper with paprika and broccoli. This delicious and nutritious meal is made on the stove top in one pan. Feel free to add a healthy starch of your family's choice!

Stove Top Snapper with Broccoli

Ingredients:
-2 large snapper
-grape seed/coconut oil
-salt/pepper/smoked paprika
-garlic powder
-chopped broccoli
-thinly sliced onions

Directions:
Heat oil on medium.
Add fish and season to taste. Blacken on one side and when you flip it, add veggies on top. Then put a lid on it and steam until fully cooked.
Enjoy!

I hope this helps you all during "lock down."
There are a lot of recipes with pictures on my website, blog, and videos. Check them out. Be well.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

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I Love Ginger!

3/23/2020

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It seems there are so many new discoveries being made about super foods. There are lots of super foods nowadays and they are helpful in many areas of health other than their basic caloric and nutrient absorption. That is why they are toted as super foods! Ginger is a super food that has been seen as healthy and flavorful for centuries. Let us start with a discussion about your exposure to ginger: What do you use ginger for? In what preparations and for what purposes?

What exactly is ginger? It is a root of the flowering plant in the turmeric and cardamom family. The flowers may be red, white, or a combination of yellow and green. The root is knotted and tubular with a light, tan-colored, shiny tough skin. The tougher and thicker the skin, the older the roots are. Roots that are a year old or more have more health benefits due to the age and maturity. They smell spicier and are heavier for their size too. The more mature roots have more concentrated essential oils inside of them. I am are so lucky to live in San Francisco because I can easily find ginger in the markets.

Ginger originated in Asia over 5000 years ago, but has been mentioned in ancient texts from all over the world. The ginger root has essential oils, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and phyto-chemicals that combine to provide healing properties. What are phyto-chemicals? Phyto-chemicals are naturally occurring compounds that boost cellular function. They make everything work better. They act as antioxidants, antibacterials, antivirals, and anti inflammatory agents. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Ginger includes 10 essential amino acids that the body does not make. We must get our essential amino acids through foods.

Ginger may be used for digestion issues, headaches, joint aches, flu and cold symptoms, infections, and more. Ginger is great for pregnant women as a warrior against nausea. I have a coworker who says, “Mother Nature is our shield and our sword.” Think about that statement. Plant matter can kill or cure. Usually in the forest if there is something poisonous to eat, there is a plant about two feet away that is the cure for the poison.

Ginger improves circulation, metabolism, and aids in giving us energy. Ginger helps to reduce the LDL (bad cholesterol) and improves the HDL (good cholesterol). It assists in the healthy functioning of hormones, including insulin. This helps with regulating blood sugar levels. It may aid with type II diabetes. How and why does it help with sugar and insulin? The ginger root keeps us from craving sugar. What does this? The spiciness. When we eat a lot of refined foods on a daily basis it affects our hormones and therefore our moods. We have all suffered from sugar highs and crashes. Adding ginger to our diet, even the candied dried variety can assist in stopping the cravings for junk food and sweets.

Pickled and fermented ginger, featured in Asian cooking, whether as a main component or as a condiment, can keep us from getting food poisoning from a bad batch of fish, sushi, or sashimi. Fermented and pickled ginger helps us absorb nutrients from the foods we eat along side of it. It is a probiotic. The probiotics plant themselves in the intestines. helps with digestion and immunity in this way. The more variety of probiotics introduced into the intestines, the more beautiful, healthy, and varied your internal garden will be.

We eat ginger in a myriad of ways:

Powdered
Raw
Juiced
Whole
Cooked
Candied
Fermented
Pickled
Essential oil

Here are some examples ginger preparations:
~kombucha with ginger
~pickled ginger
~ginger candy
~ginger tea with honey
~ginger in soups
~ginger in slaw
~ginger oil in a diffuser for focus and energy
~ginger with coconut oil for oil pulling from teeth
~ginger oil mixed with a carrier oil for headaches
~ginger cake
~ginger cookies
~ ginger ale or ginger beer was used for upset stomach since the 1850s
~chewing on a small piece of ginger like gum for 15-20 minutes releases all of the nutrients directly into the bloodstream and digestive tract
~the natural pH of ginger helps reduce acid in the stomach and heartburn symptoms

Now at the end of our wonderful time together, I must caution you. If taking prescription medication please consult with your health care provider about adding ginger to your daily routine. You may want to alter some of your medications as you increase the ginger products because of the general health benefits ginger provides. Also check for interactions with certain medications. I am not a doctor and cannot give personal medical advice. I am a research junkie and self-experimenter. I have found ginger to help me when I am sick and when I am healthy.

Enjoy your ginger snacks!
Blessings,
KJ Landis

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Serenity and Support During Our Worldwide Chaotic Times

3/16/2020

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This week we are to look at ourselves in a way of self-care and community support for those who are experiencing similar challenges. Developing serenity and supporting each other during uncertain and anxious times is not easy for most of us. Worldwide health and political turmoil is uncharted territory for a lot of us. Self care feels like a birthright during normal times. In times of worldwide unrest, however, self-care may seem selfish to ourselves, and to observers.

In peaceful times and in chaotic times, individuals still suffer from personal challenges, both big and small. How we deal with the situations personally and in a community may not be the same. The end goal is the same, though. We must sift out truths in the media drama, and we must take care of ourselves no matter what the circumstances.

To find peace within, I suggest taking a few minutes a day to breath slowly in silence, or to meditate, either in silence or with a free guided meditation app. This will help lower the chaos within. Meditation even lowers blood pressure, and helps the nervous system calm down. This will in turn help the hormones not rise up in a fight or flight reaction continuously.

To support each other in a productive way, we need to call each other and talk, really have a deep conversation with others, get together in person; any way of keeping the lines of communication open is important. Talking about our fears with others can let us all know we are not alone, and together we can make a plan, or to just be there to listen.

I hope this has helped your journey.
Sincerely,
KJ Landis

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Jack of All Trades

3/9/2020

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Giving myself the joy of curiosity in all things health related, I have become immersed in research. For the past 8 years, since I lost 50 pounds, I have been focused on keeping the weight off, and also focused upon helping myself heal from arthritis. The holistic approach has led me to deep dives in the health benefits and history of various superfoods like garlic, ginger. CBD, coffee, chocolate, vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free, dairy free subjects (just to name a few items of interest). Of couse, being a natural teacher, I could not bear to keep all of the good news to myself! So I coached others towards their superior selves. I also began teaching youth and senior groups privately, as well as library patrons and transportation workers here in the Bay Area.

Folks may claim that I am a jack of all trades, yet a master of none. I claim that humans are multifaceted beings with many interests. Lucky for me I am carving out my path in the wellness and prevention areas of health! So I take the title proudly. My cousin Suzie told me that if we focus on one area of research and practice for 7 years we are considered to be experts in that arena. I have exceeded the 7 years by many. I am an expert in the wellness world! Let me know how I may be of help to you. Thank you for the support and trust.

Sincerely,
KJ Landis

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The Unhealthiest Things in Our World (In My Opinion)

3/2/2020

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Recently I was asked to share my thoughts on what are the most unhealthy things on the planet. My answers could come from any area of what we are in contact with regularly.

From my years of coaching and research, I find donuts and French fries to be the unhealthiest foods. They combine sugar, unhealthy fat, and trans fats in order to be irresistible! Then the body wants more and more of these. They cause the body to react with a glucose spike of energy in the blood and then crashes.

For the household items, I would say bleach and ammonia. They are poisonous if swallowed (by a small child especially) and create strong aromas that are irritating to the skin and nostrils. Try using white vinegar for the cleaning instead. There are plenty of natural non-caustic cleaners on the market these days.

Finally, for the planet’s health, I say plastics are the unhealthiest thing on earth. Not only do they pollute the waters and land, they decompose and emit plant estrogens into the environment. This acts like human estrogen and can put our endocrine system out of whack. Plastics are being swallowed by sea life, killing lots of creatures as well.

I hope this has helped you, dear readers.
Sincerely,
KJ Landis

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Simple & Fast Spring Recipes

I Love Ginger!

Serenity and Support During Our Worldwide Chaotic Times

Jack of All Trades

The Unhealthiest Things in Our World (In My Opinion)

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