All posts by Monna

Oct 04
0

Organic Mama’s Medicine Cabinet – 5 Basic Essentials

By | Natural Health | 2 Comments

Finally, the temps are cooling, the kids are back in school (for us Phoenicians anyway!) and we’re heading into our version of Fall. Truthfully, I’m a little leery of believing in it yet, this summer seemed so very hot!! And, it doesn’t take a crystal ball to know that fall illnesses follow closely behind the cooling weather. The great thing is, we don’t have to be caught unaware by flu or colds. I’m already stocking up to be prepared in advance for what’s likely to arrive. Here’s what’s in my medicine cabinet.

**As always, I’ll remind you that I am not a doctor.  These are common sense remedies I use for my family, especially because they support the immune system rather than simply attacking the symptoms of illness. I have taken the time to research any herbal recipes carefully myself and have consulted with my local herbalist and doctor. I encourage you to always do the same before choosing to take or administer any kind of remedy, whether herbal or off the shelf at a local drugstore.**

Raw local honey – Honey is a great remedy for coughs and sore throats. In a study published by the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, parents gave honey high marks for easy cough symptoms. When my girls are coughing, I ply them with honeyed teas made of herbs that easy coughs and I give them a teaspoon of honey before bed. They LOVE that! Raw honey is also supposed to be filled with living enzymes that help our bodies to heal.

Lemon juice – If you’ve visited my site for any length of time, you know I’m not big on juice. I prefer my kids eat a piece of fruit and get the fiber along with the sweet juice. However, when kids are sick, keeping them hydrated and nourished is the priority. Sometimes a little flavor is just the thing to tempt their tastebuds. When my girls are sick, I don’t give them phlegm increasing orange juice as a source of vitamin C. Instead, we make lemonade to increase their vitamin C intake naturally. Just juice a lemon, add water and sweetener to taste. We use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener and our girls love it.
Chicken, beef or veggie broth  – We make our own broth at home and always boost it with yummy veggies to feed our little people when they get sick and don’t feel like eating. Just another way to keep them hydrated and nourished. We try to always keep a jar in the freezer.

Echinacea Augustifolia root tincture  – At the first sign of illness, my girls are used to getting “special water,” usually 4 oz water with a size appropriate dose of tincture. Tincture is made by macerating herbs in a base of alcohol, vinegar or glycerin to extract the herb’s healing properties. It’s very potent. I make my own tincture so that I can be sure of the quality I’m getting but if you buy it, be sure you buy E. augustifolia. According to herbalist Susan Weed, E. augustifolia roots retain their effectiveness when dried while E. purpurea do not.

Flu-berry tea*  – When I can tell my girls are succumbing to a cold/flu with a respiratory kick, I make a weak version of this tea for them. I always get current dosage information Kita Cantrell, the owner and a local herbalist who created the blend at Chakra 4. She has studied herbs for many years and I appreciate her wisdom. This tea blend includes the following ingredients and their corresponding properties.

  • Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) – antiviral
  • Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) – antiviral, expectorant
  • Ginger (Zingiber officinale) – expectorant, warming
  • Osha (Ligusticum porterii) – antiviral, expectorant
  • Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia) – warming, pleasant flavor
  • Echinacea Root (Echinacea angustifolia) – immune support
  • Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) – antibacterial
* Flu-berry Tea is NOT appropriate for Pregnant women. For a good immune boosting tea during pregnancy, see a qualified herbalist who can create a safe blend.

I would love to hear from you! What is in your natural medicine cabinet?
Sep 30
0

Green Monster Smoothies (or how to get your children to DRINK their veggies)

By | Natural Health, Recipes | No Comments

This morning when I woke, I knew I needed to eat but I just didn’t feel like breakfast. So, I decided to make something that would include a lot of nutrients – in drinkable form. Green smoothies won the day. Here’s my recipe. It is sweet but un-sugared, dairy-free, full of flavor and your kids will like it. Especially if you name something silly like we do. Our smoothie name is an homage to a favorite movie featuring a fuzzy blue Monster and his one eyed green sidekick. Maybe your kids have a similar hero. Be creative and get them to drink their fruits and veggies for the day!

By the way, this is a family sized smoothie.

Super Delicious Green Smoothie

2 Bananas (these are so sweet, you won’t need sweetener!)

1 small apple

Green Grapes (one handful)

1/4 c. frozen pineapple (fresh is fine)

3/4 c. frozen mango

3/4 c. fresh spinach

1/2 stalk celery – chopped into small pieces (you don’t want those strands wrapping around your blender blade!)

1 small English cucumber – these don’t have many seeds and I don’t peel it

1/2 c. water

1/4 c ice

I just add enough water to get my blender moving. If you have a newer Vitamix or blender that doesn’t need as much, feel free to omit it. 

If you have extra, pour it into a glass and put in the fridge till later. 

OR, pour it into popsicles molds and freeze.

Enjoy!!

 

Sep 13
0

Local Central Phoenix, AZ Coffee Shops Review

By | Local Phoenix, Local Restaurants | One Comment

Today’s post covers two things about which I’m passionate – supporting local business and introducing you to some of the great people in our neighborhood of Phoenix. The review of the week is about the delightfully delicious drink many of us love – especially with a generous serving of real cream and a scoop of ice.  Yep.  We’re talking about Coffee, folks!

Alas, my queasy pregnant stomach (and nose) can only dream of such indulgences right now. Lucky for me, I’m privileged to know one of Phoenix’s foremost coffee connoiseurs, Jim Helman, earned by virtue of his passionate obsession with coffee. (I’m sure it’s a healthy one).

A while back, Jim and his wife, Colleen, embarked on a mission to explore some of the great local coffee shops we have in Phoenix and share them with other java lovers. He kindly agreed to share a little bit about himself and his favorite shops (so far!).  So – without further ado – meet Jim Helman.

Jim, how long have you been in Phoenix?  “I moved to Phoenix, Christmas 1977 to enroll at ASU for my Master’s degree in Music. My original plan was to go to ASU for a year and then move to Texas to work on a doctorate. Eventually I wanted to teach music at a Christian college or university.” (Monna: We are lucky to know Jim because he chose a job on the music staff at the church where Rob works.)

We are starting to talk a lot about building community in this blog space. What do you and Colleen do to contribute to this idea? “I have been meeting business owners in the area for a while … some examples, I developed an exchange with the owners of the Ace Hardware Store in the Cinema Park Shopping Center. That ended up with me officiating for a the wedding between two of the employees. I’ve know the owners of Cheese-N-Stuff family since those early 1980’s days. Also, Luci, after which Luci’s Marketplace is named, is also a breast-cancer survivor like Colleen. We’ve begun the relationship speaking with them… of course, it takes time to develop genuine rapport, as you can imagine.”

How did you come up with the idea to review local coffee shops one at a time? “ …Colleen and I took our weekly Saturday morning dates for coffee and mixed it with an idea to visit ALL the coffee spots within a five-mile radius from [our Central Phoenix] church. We make it a point to introduce ourselves to the owner, if they are present, and then just take it from there! The owners all want to reach out to the customers and I just want to introduce myself to the owners so it works easily enough. Social networking makes it easy to get recommendations from other coffee connoisseurs. I’m thinking there are probably 20 locally-owned coffee spots not counting eight or so Starbux in that five mile radius.

…Phoenix has it’s own personality but it’s leaning more and more like a Seattle-esque city with people walking, jogging and using light-rail and bus to get around that five-mile radius I mentioned.”

How long have you and Colleen been married? “Colleen and I have been married since 1981. She is a native Phoenician and can tell you stories about many of the buildings and the previous businesses that once occupied the space now being used by these coffee places.”

Isn’t it nice to meet new people? You’ll see Jim around town at some of his favorite coffee spots. To find the shops, just click on the name. They’re linked to their own websites. Check them out!

Jim’s Favorite Coffee Experiences

Best, consistent Americano:  Lux Coffee

 

Most romantic Coffee Place:  Fair Trade Coffee, Midtown

Best places to meet someone to talk:

North Valley: Next Coffee

Midtown:  Luci’s Healthy Marketplace – Summer cold drink happy hour from 5-close daily!

Downtown:  Cartel Coffee

Best Coffee +Plus something to eat : AJ’s Coffee Bar, AJ’s Fine Food Uptown Plaza

Three Downtown Coffee Spots you need just need to try out:

Two of Cartel’s awesome crew

Cartel Coffee Lab Downtown ~ NE Corner of 1st Street and Washington, this place is eclectic.  The baristas are super cool, love their work and make a terrific Americano.  You can meet someone here to talk, sit alone and study, drop by for a quick jolt, or hang alone to write your autobiography. It has weekday hours.

Cartel on Facebook

The cool view from Gideon’s

Gideon’s Coffee ~ Gideon’s Coffee opened about the middle of September, 2010 and really caters to the downtown, working crowd. It’s a block south of Sing High Restaurant and just south of the new Maricopa County courthouse. It’s hours are early morning to mid-afternoon Monday through Friday so we had to catch them some time other than our usual Saturday coffee time together. It has weekday hours.

209 West Jackson Street  http://www.gideonscoffee.com/

Jim’s lovely wife, Colleen

Lola Downtown ~ One spot that is worth the effort to find is the DOWNTOWN edition of Lola Coffee in the older Roosevelt district. It’s inside a brick building amidst a bunch of new loft condos and apartments. It reaches to a younger crowd, again in the 20’s & 30’s with the occasional Baby Boomer.  (I.E. Colleen Helman)

1001 N 3rd Ave   http://www.lolacoffeebar.com/

 

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Sep 08
0

True Friendship – How to Help When Someone You Love is Grieving

By | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

When I was a young girl, there seemed to be a protocol for helping friends and acquaintances through times of loss – at least in my house. Despite being busy with five little girls, my mom was a true “there when you needed her” friend. If you had a baby, lost a loved one to death or were experiencing tough times, she was there. She rocked your baby while you napped, cut your hair for free, brought you a meal or helped clean your house.

As an adult, when my brother and then my parents became ill and died, the various families connected to us through my mom’s school and the two churches our family attended also surrounded us with love – and homemade meals.

In fact, we were at times nearly buried under the sheer quantity of meals people made for us. My mom’s fridge and huge freezer were filled to overflowing with gestures of love from people who had received the same love from her throughout her whole life. Those meals, lovingly prepared, represented love, support and prayers offered by friends and mere acquaintances.  It was – overwhelming.

Today, my heart is aching for several young friends whose parents and loved ones are ill and near death. One said goodbye to her dad this morning.

It reminds me of how I felt at that time. So today I want to share those things that most encouraged me in times of grief like my parents’ deaths or my miscarriage this year. Hopefully, these thoughts will give you practical things to do if you have a friend facing loss.

The time just after a profound loss is a time for gentle words of comfort and for practical love.

1. The most encouraging friends won’t try to “fix” grief.

There are no perfect words of comfort at a time like this. Religious platitudes (I say this as a person of deep faith) ring empty when your loved one departs this realm of existence. You’re not grieving because you have no hope. You grieve because you can no longer touch that dear face or hear his or her voice answer you. That physical absence is excruciating at first.

The most comforting friends realize this and simply say, “I am so sorry.”

When I have needed encouragement, those four little words meant more to me than any deeply spiritual quotes – because I knew my friends were truly in the moment with me, grieving my profound loss with me. I felt a kinship with them and a sense of solidarity.

2. Real friends keep showing up when you’re reeling from a loss and can sit in silence or listen if you feel up to talking. After my miscarriage this year, I had friends who just informed me they were coming over and only gave me the option of picking the flavor of tea they were bringing. I didn’t always know what I needed but it turns out companionship was it. I love them for it!

3. Practical love still comes in the form of a lovely meal offered in a disposable container. Times have changed and we have gotten busier. So, a meal really says you love your friend enough to take the time to cook. It offers physical comfort and nourishment. And, yes. I know it’s not very organic to use a disposable dish. But keeping track of and returning dishes is not something you need to mess with if you are grieving.

Call ahead to schedule your kind gesture and be sure to ask if there are any food allergies or aversions before planning the meal. And people, this is DEFINITELY a time to include dessert. It isn’t called “comfort food” for nothing!

A true friend is faithful in good times and painful times. It’s not always easy to be that kind of friend. It means we have to face our own fears about pain and loss.  It means there will likely be a period of time when our love and attention isn’t reciprocated because the recipient just doesn’t have the energy to give back. Grief is draining. It’s always easier to go out and hang with the living than to keep company with those who are facing death. But, being a true friend means you’ll have that kind of friend when it’s your turn to face those painful moments.

If you have a friend who is facing loss right now, take the time to connect with them. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have any pat answers. Just your presence in the form of the simple words “I’m sorry” or a home cooked meal will speak volumes.