Saturday, March 30, 2013

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

IMG_0702Even though it is starting to warm up out there, this soup still gets the job done. Full of healthy tidbits and still tastes delicious!
 
You will need:
- 2-3 lb. stewing chicken
- 1 qt. water
- 1 qt. chicken stock
- 1 med. onion, diced
- 6-8 carrots, diced
- 1 bunch celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt/pepper
- olive oil
- egg noodles
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. rosemary, crushed


Step 1: In a large soup pot, drizzle 2 tbsp. olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Cook over medium low heat for about 2-3 minutes until translucent; add desired amount of salt and pepper while they are cooking. Next add the carrots and cook for another minute; add thyme and rosemary. Add the celery, cook another minute.
Step 2:
Add the stewing chicken, water, chicken stock, and a bay leaf (or two) to the pot. Bring to a boil, skim any fat, reduce heat to simmer, and cover for 2 hours.
Step 3: Remove chicken from soup, let cool, and debone. Skim any fat and put the shredded chicken back in the pot. Cook egg noodles and enjoy!

Homemade Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

You will need:
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 lb. Zita cut pasta
  • 5 cups tomato sauce
  • 3 cups ricotta
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2cup grated parmesan
  • 1/3 cup Romano





Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 and start boiling water. Brown beef, cook pasta al dente (~ 7 min); do not rinse.

Step 2: Combine tomato sauce and ricotta, add beef and ziti- stir well.

Step 3: Add half to 9 x 13 baking dish, sprinkle half of the 3 types of cheese, add remaining pasta mix. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese, bake until top is golden brown and bubbly (~ 40 min).

Friday, March 8, 2013

Must Have Homemade Salsa

You will need: (These are rough measurements by the way, This makes a giant 8" x 8" dish)
  • 6-7 Big Tomatoes ( Canned diced tomatos will work as well, I just prefer fresh when I can get it )
  • 2 Green Peppers
  • 2 Red Onions
  • 8-10 Jalapenos
  • Small bunch of Cilantro
  • 4 ounces of Lime Juice
  • 4 tbsp. Kosher Salt
  • Few finely chopped garlic cloves
  • Cilantro to taste









Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Feeling a bit off today....

Feeling a little off today?
My friends,
Are you having a bad day?
Are you swimming against the current?
Sometimes you have to convince yourself
that things will be alright.
Things will work out the way they are supposed to.
Work hard and do unto others.
Because, people mean well.
Deep, deep down, they mean well.
Unfortunately,
those same people need to realize
and internalize that the same things they hate in others,
are the same things they hate in themselves.
It takes strength to say,
“I need to change. I will be different.”
A concept that has been around longer than I have.
Perfect yourself before you attempt
to perfect others.
Who cares what they say.
This is you life.
Basically, this is about more than just some awesome toe socks with animals on them.
Yes, when shit hits the fan…
I wear these with pride.
But, it goes deeper than that.
It is about doing what makes you feel good.
Once again, it is the little things.
And nobody gets hurt

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Food Philosophy

                            Image by ( Love Veggies  By ellevalentine)

Lately I’ve been pretty busy trying to keep everything together; fundraisers, clinical, studying, tests, presentations, process papers, patient care plans, trying to find time to sleep, eat, and take care of everything that comes after that.  I try to pour so much energy into the blogs that I posts, making sure that the information is accurate and interesting.  It usually takes me quite some of them together, which is why I haven’t had as many as I would like too. 

Then I realized I’m sure there is something I can come up with that does not require that much effort.  Things that are valuable to me and have now become second nature.

Since I am so passionate about food and the effects that it has on the body I will rattle off a few things.  My philosophy on food is that it should be simple, delicious, and healthy.  Not that I don’t appreciate a complex, well thought out recipe.  It is just not practical for me to fit into my current lifestyle.  Being healthy is a lifestyle choice and needs to be something you are comfortable with.  It should not be an everyday struggle and something you dread. 

That means getting to know your fruits and vegetables; what is in season and the best ways to cook them. 


Prefrontal Cortex


For a while now I’ve had this fascination with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the role it plays in learning, addiction, and those strange behaviors that make you scratch your head and wonder… “Why?”

To give you a brief description, this magnificent part of the brain is the gem of our evolution and the basis for our superb neural connections. 

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is responsible for:
-  abstract thinking and thought analysis
-  our active working memory
-  our ability to judge right and wrong, and foresee the outcomes
-  social control (and controlling sexual urges)
-  control over intense emotional impulses (the seat of good judgment)
-  short term and long term decision making; allowing you to plan ahead and create strategies. 
focusing thoughts and enabling you to pay attention, learn, and concentrate on goals
evaluating complex concepts and tasks