Wellness
byCheritaCunningham
Welcometo2021!
2020wasawhirlwindofayear Manyofus experiencedhardshipandchallenges Allofuswere impactedbyaglobalpandemicthatinfectedsome, resultedinthelossofalovedone,orforsome impactedusbyhavingtoisolateandbeinquarantine. That'salot;nottomentiontheeconomicstruggleor otherpersonalchallengesthathadtobeovercome.
That'sprettyoverwhelmingtojustthinkaboutandlistout.Butthebeautifulthingisthatwe allsurvived.SomedaysIjusthadtokeeptakingonestepatatime,buthereweallareina newyear!
Formeinsomeways,anewyearrepresentsacleanslate,afreshstart.It'sagoodtimetoreflect onthepastyearandpreparetostepintothenewone. NowIknow,Iknow...mostofushave triedourfairshareofnewyearsresolutions Andmostofusareoverthem,buthearmeout
I'mnottalkingaboutanewyear'sresolution;thoseareoften lofty,unrealisticgoalsthatIfindmyselfabandoningquicklyinto thenewyear,whichcanbesodiscouraging.
I'mtalkingaboutaskingmyselfsimplequestionslike "Whataresomethings/habitsthatIwanttoleavein2020?"and "WhatarethingsIwanttobringinto2021?(eitherthingsI startedin2020ornewthingsfortheyear)"
OneofthemainthingsthatIcanseethatIbeganin2020,thatI desiretocontinuein2021canbeencompassedintwowords "pursuingwellness".
Wellness[wel-nis]
Noun. thequalityorstateofbeinghealthyinbodyandmind,especially astheresultofdeliberateeffort
Ilovethedefinitionofwellnessbecauseittalks abouta'deliberateeffort' Wellnessisnot somethingthatwilljusthappen,butsomething thattakestimeandintentionality I'mlearninga lotaboutthatandhowtobepatientinthe process.
I'malsolearningthatthereisalotofinternalwork thatneedstobedoneinorderformetoachieve physical,mental,andspiritualwellness Ilikewhen thingsarequickandeasy,butformethisprocess hasbeenabouttakingthingsonedayatatime That'swhyIlovethissecondpicture EverydayI havechoicestomakeandopportunitiesthatcould leadtomebeingonestepclosertowholeness
Iwanttotakeamomenttogiveashout-outto RonBondoc.Thesetwopicturesarefromhis postsinourCSGWarriorAlumniFacebookgroup Ifeelliketheyaccuratelydepictsomeofmy thoughtsaboutpursuingwellness.
MostofmylifeI'vebeenplaguedwithmy weight,myhealth,thoughtsabouthowIlookand somuchmore EverytimeIwouldstartanother dietorworkouttrend,I'dsoonfindmyself disappointeduntilthepointthatIgaveup.This pandemicprovidedmewithalotoftime,and someofthattimewasspenttakingacoldhard lookatmyself LookingatwhereIwasatand whereIwantedtobe.
Whensomeoneofferedtohelpme,Ichoseto accept.Havingsomeoneinitwithmehasbeena gamechanger;thesupport,thepush,thespace toventorcrywhenIneedtohasmadeallthe difference.AnotheroneofthemaindifferencesI seeisthatIdon'thaveadesiretolookacertain wayoranyofthat,butIdesiretobehealthy.I'm pursuingwellness.
ThroughoutthisprocessIdefinitelyhaven'tdone everythingright SomedaysIfeellikeIcan'tkeep going,Ifeellikeit'stochallengingtochange, Iwanttogiveuporquit...attimesIhavegivenup,butthat'swhyit'ssogoodtohavesupport.Whenthey've helpedmegetbackup,I'verealizedthatIhaveanotheropportunitytomorrowtotakeastepintherightdirection. Iknoweachofyouleavecampwithdifferentgoals;personalgoals,professionalgoals,wellnessgoals,etc.Itismy desiretocontinuetobeapartofyourjourneyafteryouleaveCampSouthernGround It'smydesiretostay connectedwithyouinawaythatsupportsyouandyourgoals.
WhatI'velearnedoverthesepastfewmonthsthatI'vebeenonthisjourneyofpursuingwellness,isthatweareso muchBetterTogether.SoI'mexcitedtobringyounewcontentandinformationthatIhopeyoufindfunand helpful!
Ifthere'sanyotherwaythatwecansupportyouall,pleaseletusknow!
Hopeeveryone's2021isofftoagreatstart!HappyNewYearfromtheRemedyKitchenTeam!
What'sinSeason?
Fun Foods to Look Out for this Winter
Winter is among us ! The chilly weather lends itself to making some yummy , warm dishes . There ' s nothing like coming home at the end of the day and cozying up with a warm bowl of soup or stew . The winter also provides some delicious fresh fruits and veggies ! Here are a few fruits and veggies that are in this season and some ideas of how to use them to create some delicious culinary creations !
AcornSquash
Benefits:
Acorn squash is an excellent source of B vitamins, and it has water-soluble nutrients that promotes immune system health
How to eat it:
You can easily create an appetizing mixture of rice, sausage, celery, onions, and herbs in order to stuff an acorn squash You can also slice and roast the acorn squash
CitrusFruits
Benefits:
Citrus fruits are full of Vitamin C and low in calories They have anti-inflammatory properties and are also a good source of fiber
How to eat them:
Cara-Cara oranges and baked grapefruit make delicious and refreshing snack As we focus on wellness, honey lemon tea could be a great support to your immune system
Kale
Benefits:
Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods Rich in Vitamin A & K, it can help lower cholesterol and may reduce risk of heart disease
How to eat it:
Kale is a great base for a salad It is also a nutritious addition to soups. In chip form it is an excellent alternative to potato chips It can even be used as the greens in a kale pesto
RemedyKitchen RecipeoftheMonth
GreenGumbo
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup flour
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green
bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 ham hock
10 cups water
14 cups assorted greens, chopped (i.e. kale, collards, mustard greens, spinach, etc.)
Directions
Salt
1 pound smoked andouille sausage (optional)
Gumbo File powder to taste (optional)
CajunSeasoning
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp sweet paprika
Make the Roux: Heat the oil over medium heat for a minute or two and then stir in the flour. Stir constantly so there are no lumps. Cook over medium heat until the roux is the color of chocolate.
Heat Water: While the roux is cooking, bring the 10 cups of water to a simmer.
Add Vegetables: Add onions, celery, and green peppers and turn the heat to medium. Stir occasionally, until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
Add Spices: Add bay leaves, the Cajun spice and slowly stir in the hot water. The roux will seize up at first, but keep stirring and it will all come together in a silky broth.
Fun Fact/ Did You Know??
Add Ham Hock and Greens: Add the ham hock and all the greens. Taste for salt, but remember the ham hock will be salty, so let the broth be a little under-salted for now. If you want to add more Cajun spice, do so now. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove Ham Hock: When the meat is falling off the bone, remove ham hock, discard bones, chop meat and return it to the pot.
Add Sausage: Once the hock is ready, add the andouille sausage and cook for another 15 minutes.
RemedyKitchen RecipeoftheMonth
BlenderGreenJuice
Ingredients
1 large cucumber, roughly chopped
1 bunch celery (about 8–10 stalks), roughly chopped
2 green apples, roughly chopped 1/2 cup water
1 lemon ice
Other ingredient ideas: parsley, mint, ginger, pineapple, kale, spinach
Directions
Add the cucumber, celery, apple and water into a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds until smooth. Place cheesecloth (or fine mesh strainer) over a large bowl and pour the mixture into the bag. Carefully squeeze out all the juice into the bowl, leaving behind the pulp. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to the strained juice and pour over ice into a glass! Keep remaining juice in a pitcher in the fridge for up to 7 days.
