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Showing posts from July, 2022

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Understanding Deep Vein Thrombosis: Risk Factors, Signs, and Management

Recently I heard that a family member in her early 50s was being seen by a doctor for DVT and that she was hoping that there was a more natural way of dealing with it than the medications her doctor was prescribing. When I had digested this scrap of family ''information,'' I thought about my own lax position (denial, really) and how it would make sense for me to make some changes in my life while I still have some shreds of health and potential fitness. And, of course, I have inherited my mother's compulsive pop reading habit (in my case, the Internet mostly). So, I decided to research and write an article that would incorporate some preventative and alternative health principles into my life that might make DVT somewhat less likely to catch up with me than is likely the case now. I would also like to see our family member above and others benefit from these principles if they decide that they want to. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a critical health concern that af

How To Make Quinoa and Sun-Roasted Soy Curl Chickn in a Solar Oven

Salad and Tzatziki with Quinoa + Sun-Roasted Soy Curls It is hot and humid again today. The temperature is 30 degrees C. in the morning. Way too hot for us. I am sorry for complaining about the blue skies and sunshine when some of you read my woes about our long Winter and Spring with low temps and lots of rain (even some snow that stayed around). Is there any pleasing me? Well, a real blessing for us is to have this nifty American Sun Oven that harnesses the power of the Sun (immense power on a sunny day) for FREE! (Well, after you've paid for the oven-- you'd have to do the Math for that). Keeps your kitchen cool. Keeps the rest of the house cooler. Good for the environment. Excellent when you are off the grid on a fishing trip or on a research assignment or just like using your backyard for something besides the garden and the selfies with the flowers. And the food cooks just right, there is NO burning-- you might experience a little food dryness when you are getting used to

Super Easy Yummy Fluffy Coconut Rice (in the Sun Oven)

For the last few days we have not used the oven or stove for cooking our meals. We aren't doing the "raw vegan" thing either, or only in a limited way. Instead, the delicious coconut rice in the photo above was cooked by the Sun outside in our backyard. Free Power. The recipe for the coconut rice and the cucumber-mayo sauce (like Tzatziki) above are below. You can find the recipe for the sun-roasted Moroccan Vegetables HERE. FLUFFY NO-FAIL COCONUT RICE SOLAR-COOKED If you have a Sun Oven, set it up, position it for the sun, and wait for it to hit 300 degrees Fahrenheit before putting in the rice. Using one of the black speckled (granite) pots that come with the Sun Oven (or that you can purchase pretty handily), put in the following ingredients: 2 cups of regular rice (I used Jasmine) 1 tablespoon turmeric powder 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup coconut shreds (I used unsweetened, fine shreds) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt zest from one small lemon (optional) 3 1/2 cups water (1 3/4 cup of wat

Overnight Blueberry-Chia Pudding Pie Oats

  This delicious chia seed pudding is made the night before (takes about 5 minutes after you assemble the ingredients) and popped in the fridge for breakfast. This particular pudding includes both non-dairy milk AND non-dairy yogurt (usually coconut, bought or home-made).  It is extra creamy! It really does taste like blueberry pie-- it even has a sprinkle of oats and maybe some almond crumbs or hempseeds as a 'crust'.  The chia seeds soak overnight, so there is no danger of coming across a hard one. Be sure to mix everything well before adding the oat topping and lid and popping in the fridge. This recipe makes 3 to 6 servings, depending on how big your servings are. This is a super high fibre pudding, so be sure to drink some water before and throughout the morning. INGREDIENTS 6 tablespoons Chia Seed 1 cup Non-dairy Milk (We like Silk Coconut Milk or Almond or Soy-- everyone has their favorites) 1 cup Non-dairy Yogurt 1 cup (or more) fresh Blueberries (or other favorite fres

Moroccan-Style Sun-Roasted Vegetables

When the July Sun bursts forth (finally) on Beautiful Vancouver Island, out comes my American Sun Oven and then we get creative-- no more HOT kitchen cooking. (If you purchase the oven through clicking in with my link (highlighted in yellow above), you qualify for a discount on the total cost of the oven  Thank you!) Today's recipe is for our favourite veggie recipe (and we are vega n, so you know that it's gotta be good to be Top of the Faves, eh? Pretty easy. Pretty flexible. VERY colorful. (or colourful as I usually write it, being a Canadian and all) I make a double recipe and put one in the fridge for the next day if it is also going to be sunny and nice. You could just make a half the recipe if you only want it for one day. Here are some of the vegetables  you might choose to add into the pot: *Aubergine, or eggplant, small-- sliced or chopped *Chickpeas (a can, because you are going to use the juice (aquafaba) as well *Mushrooms (1/2 a little container, any kind you li

A Review of the Book "How To Be A Good Creature: A Memoir in 13 Animals" by Sy Montgomery

How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery My rating: 5 of 5 stars Such a beautiful, uplifting little book. My husband found it in a local 'little library' and after reading it, proceeded to press it upon me. I was reading something "serious" at the time and let him rave on about it, barely hearing what he had to say. And then there was that afternoon when I ran out of reading material and really, really craved something for my eyes to lap up as I fell asleep that night. Why do I forget how much pleasure and de-stressing happens for me when I read books about cutie animals and embrace my inner animal lover? This book is also a 'serious' memoir of the quintessential vegan-lifestyle gal who has been shamed for her love of animals-- of actually seeing herself as an animal as a little girl-- by her militaristic father and status-seeker mother from childhood on. Her father wanted her to join the Military. She didn't, and actua

Alexander Mackenzie, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada

  Alexander Mackenzie was the second Prime Minister of Canada, serving between the 1st term of John A. Macdonald, and the second term of John A. Macdonald (1873-1878). Mackenzie was born in Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland, the third son (1 of 10 sons, of which seven  survived their infancies) of Alexander Mackenzie Sr. and Mary Stewart (Fleming) Mackenzie.  He was born in the house that his father built and, amazingly, this house was on the real estate market for about $500,000+ CAD in 2015, but renovated with indoor washrooms and likely not heated with peat.   Mackenzie's birthplace, Logierait, Scotland, c.2015 Mackenzie's father had to roam about Britain looking for work as a carpenter and ship's joiner at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, a time of economic depression. He and Mary wed in 1817, two years after the Wars ended. Alexander Jr. was born during this economic slump (January 1822), but just on the cusp of a return to some general prosperity in Scotland for the ruli