Earthly Bodies

Recently, I typed the words, “food as medicine” in my search engine and sixteen books came up as well as several websites.  The whole notion of finding ways to get healthier and stay healthy is probably at its highest level of interest among people.  Baby boomers are getting older and looking at longevity issues as related to health and preventing diseases as well as ways to address current health issues that they are experiencing.  Millenniums seem obsessed with the topic and are often more knowledgeable than their parents regarding health issues and foods.  Any health issue you can name, you will find information about foods that can reportedly help you.

Now, don’t go throwing away your prescription medications and I don’t have a 1-800 number for you to call as operators are not standing by, but there are some age-old notions as well as new research worth noting as the idea of food as medicine may be worthy of consideration and individual research.  A good place to start is with Johanna (pronounced Yo-hanna) Earthly Ramos and you can find her at http://www.earthlybodies.org.  You can purchase her specialty juices formulated for various health concerns – high blood sugar, inflammation, skin conditions, overweight, PMS, heart problems, and the list continues.  See below for instructions on how to order her juices.

Her story with making juices to address health concerns began with a personal tragedy followed by months of being on, what she calls, “an emotional rollercoaster.”  However, from her own experience she realized that she could turn tragedy into something positive for herself and ever since that realization she has been making her life better as well as other people’s lives better with her 52 juice recipes.  She strictly uses blends of multiple seasonal fruits and vegetables to create her juices.  Personally, I love the Kale Yeah! juice and have a little each morning for breakfast. 

To purchase her juices, you can go on her website and make a purchase through the “Store” before Friday and then pick up the formulated juice at Forland Family Market on Saturday.

More information can be found on her website, her Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and Periscope TV. 

Bonus Recipe of the Week:  Acorn Squash

I’m having to give a bonus recipe as I have a self-imposed rule that all recipes must contain at least three ingredients obtained from Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermens Market, Forland Family Market, or Shrimp to Go.  This bonus recipe is a simple recipe for acorn squash and only contains two items purchased at the Market.  

Ingredients:

Acorn squash (various vendors)

Butter (Forland Family Market)

Raw sugar

Sea salt

Cinnamon (I use Badia as the flavor tastes consistently fresher and more intense to me than others.)

Olive oil

Directions:

1. Cut the squash into halves, crossways.  Spoon out the seeds and pulp.
2. Coat the bottom of a shallow baking dish with olive oil.
3. Place the acorn squash, cut side down in the baking dish and cook for 20 minutes at 350°.
4. In the meantime, in a small sauce pan melt ~1 tablespoon of butter (more or less depending on the size of the acorn squash).  When butter is melted add 1 tablespoon of raw sugar and pinch of sea salt, cook while stirring over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Add cinnamon to taste and stir.  Remove from heat.
5. Turn acorn squash over and coat with butter mixture.  Cook 20 more minutes.
6. Test doneness with fork tines to ensure the squash is soft.

Recipe of the Week:  Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 pound of grass-fed, free range hamburger meat (George Family Farm)

1 egg (various vendors)

½ cup of non-GMO, organic oatmeal (I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1 small sweet onion diced (various vendors)

Sea salt

Tony’s Tejas Salsa

3 tablespoons raw honey (various vendors)

1½ tablespoons Dijon-style mustard

Directions:

1. Combine hamburger, egg, oatmeal, and onion.  Add sea salt to taste.  Put in a slightly greased pan.
2. Mix salsa, honey, and mustard.  Cover the top of the hamburger mixture.
3. Bake 1 ¼ hours at 350°.  For the last 30-45 minutes, cook with an aluminum foil tent to prevent the honey and salsa from burning.

Both of these foods complement each other as a pairing and go great with a glass of red wine.  I served them with a green salad made with Craine Creek Farms lettuce.  Enjoy and I’ll see you at the Market.

Bob Zeanah

Author of No Anchor (published November 2015)

Available online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble or Books a Million

Author of Work to Do (published July 2014)

Available online from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Books a Million

14410 Oak Street

Magnolia Springs AL  36555

251-752-5174 mobile device

bobzeanah@gmail.com

www.bobzeanah.com