Wellness community focused on getting back to your roots. Organic gardening practices, traditional cooking techniques and overall sharing of ideas as a community.
I’m going to try tapping trees tomorrow too...Not sure how productive my old maples will be but we have time to learn!
While humanity deals with the intense blow that is the novel coronavirus, Dave Barnes reminds Brandonites that nature isn’t cancelled. In fact, natural spaces can be the perfect antidote for anyone having a hard time adjusting to the collective’s altered reality.
Here we go! Time to make some delicious bread. As of now, any posts regarding the sourdough tutorials will be in my closed group "Average Roots After Dark", to avoid inundating everyone's newsfeed with way too much information. Search that name and ask to join, then we can get started! This is going to be fun (except that I'm stupid nervous 🤪)
Average Roots's cover photo
Bread Pitt is good looking, smells great and most of all.....ready to go home with you! PM me when you think you’ll be coming to get some starter.
What. Is. Happening?
I have legitimately been hiding under a rock (more accurately, at the rink) but all of a sudden.....pandemic! I feel like I've got some splainin' to do - and also, some time. I'm not the only one with time on her hands right now so....
Due to financial reasons and employment changes that have taken my main man (gross, I never call him that) away from Minnedosa most of the time, leaving me responsible for all the chauffering/raising/feeding duties, I have had to postpone my nutrition course 😢. This was a tough decision. I'm not a person who likes to make excuses but I had to recognize my stress levels and remember a time when my thyroid made it impossible for me to ignore the stress. This was not a fun time for our family and I didn't want to repeat that.
I have missed this community so much and I have missed posting. Sometimes social media gets a bit much (hello, COVID-19!) but I really loved doing something with a purpose and I'd like to continue that. I'd like to still continue with the nutrition bit when it works for me but, for the time being, I'll focus on what I'm actually accredited to do and what I can share/focus on without having a lawyer knocking on my door.
So what can we talk about? First of all, I am a gardener at heart. I also have a diploma from RRCC in horticulture/landscaping/landscape design. I'm working so hard at having a productive, organic backyard garden right now and I'd love to share what I've learned and tried with this community, while also hearing about your trials/successes.
My passion when it comes to nutrition is traditional diets, most prominent being the teachings of Dr. Weston A. Price. Google him when you have a chance. Incredible. I've learned a few things over the years about different cooking techniques and feel confident enough to share those on here, as well as using this group as an avenue to learn from others.
Can we also talk about Karen? Since we've last had a chat, the name Karen keeps popping up in memes and I don't like what people have to say about her. I think I'll change the name of this group for now to "Average Roots". I'm open to suggestions but I think that covers the gardening bit, along with going back to your roots when it comes to food preparation, there's also a bit about dental health which we can get to eventually but if you google Weston A. Price, you'll understand.
Anyways, that's where I'm at. I have a lot of ideas, the first being an online sourdough course. If you're local, I'm going to feed my starter (Bread Pitt) tonight and will have lots to give away tomorrow. Let me know if you're interested and stay tuned!
You know that feeling that comes over your body the first time you decide to kick off your shoes in spring and walk barefoot on the grass? I always find myself breathing deep in that moment and exhaling all my worries. This is called ‘grounding’ or ‘earthing’ and while I’ve heard about some of the health benefits in the past, I had no idea how far they reach. Intuitively, this makes such sense and now science has caught up and can show why this feels so good for our body. (Also, this is one of the cheapest, easiest ways to bring yourself back into balance.)
This is a link to a free screening of this documentary available until June 20th.
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/06/15/down-to-earth-movie.aspx
After exposure to the oil dispersant Corexit, Rebecca and Josh Tickell made the documentary, "Down to Earth — The Earthing Movie" and experienced the benefits.
Three cheers for apple cider vinegar! Do you love this stuff as much as I do? It’s what I use in all my salad dressings, my homemade mayo, I soak my rice in it before cooking to make it more digestible and I add it when I’m cooking broth to help make the nutrients in the bones more available.
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Apple cider vinegar helps to keep blood sugar balanced and aids in digestion. Add a tablespoon to your water an hour before eating to reap the benefits. It’s also a wonderful hair conditioner.
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It’s also so so easy to make your own! Water, sugar, apple cores/peels and time! This fizzy ferment has a week to go before we taste it! Can you see the bubbles??
Wondering what to do on a Friday night? Why not host a sauerkraut party? This is becoming a regular thing for us (it’s happened twice, that counts right?). Our friends come over, the kids play and we get chopping. Drinks, conversation and a couple jars of delicious sauerkraut.
While I wait for my kraut to get perfectly fermented (usually takes about 5 days for our tastes), I’ll be snacking on this delicious Turmeric Pepper Kraut from Boho Soul Market!
What’s your favourite way to get the weekend started?
Finished products are rolling in! What a great day. I hope your ferments are all bubbling away too! Just throwing my bread in the oven now....
On the cusp of my sourdough workshop, a new experiment has found that bakers hands are intrinsically connected to the bacterias and yeasts found in sourdough. This cements my whole ‘everything is connected’ point of view and is also super interesting. “It’s a reminder that we have a really intimate relationship with our food” - Robert Dunn, Author and Scientist.
In Robert Dunn's new book, Never Home Alone, he explores our symbiotic relationship with food: Not only do we impact the bacteria in our food, but the microbes in our food imprint our bodies.
Don’t forget to sign up at the rec office. You get a sourdough starter to take home as well 🤗
This is me! So excited for this!
Interested in baking sourdough? What about making bone broth? Kambucha? Sauerkraut? Have I made you hungry??? Check out this great workshop! (You even get lunch!) Call the office for more info or to register. Space limited! 204-867-2250
Saturday, November 17 8:30 - 4:00 PM $85 per person
This girl is the best yoga instructor I’ve ever had the pleasure of learning from! I haven’t been to one of her wine classes yet but as soon as time permits, I’m there.
DUE TO THE RAIN WE’LL TRY AGAIN NEXT WEEK.🤞🏻
I have been given fair instructions to do more wine and yoga classes and I am SO pumped about that!
Details as follows:
- SUNDAY 1 PM in Mel’s backyard
- Bring your favourite wine or bevy
- Bring a bottle of water
- Bring a mat, a hat, and if you want... a cat?
- And most importantly, bring your beautiful self!
See you all there!
How does your garden grow? Mine is looking beautiful this year, thanks to a change of plans and more time at home. I must say I’m not terribly disappointed that I get to spend more time in this happy place!
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Organic soil that has been fed well is to a plant what a healthy gut is to a person. If the soil is deficient in nutrients, your plants will show it and you are what you eat! Everything is connected so feed your soil well, and feed yourself even better!
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We’re always a little behind here because we can’t seem to get things going in the midst of ball season but we’ll still have a bountiful harvest! Can’t wait! Are you harvesting anything delicious yet?
Is cilantro popping up everywhere in your garden? Make sure to use it! Cilantro is a digestive aid, an anti-inflammatory and may even help to reduce blood sugar levels. It’s also high in such minerals as calcium, iron, and magnesium as well as vitamins C, A, E and the B-vitamins.
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A great way to preserve it is by making this simple cilantro chutney. It packs a flavour punch that can’t be beat. We love using this as a condiment anytime cilantro is suggested as a garnish. (It is to die for on Butter Chicken)
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Do you like cilantro? How do you use it when it’s coming up like gangbusters at this time of year? I also like to let it go to seed, dry it and then grind up my own fresh coriander all year.
We just talked about this (and did a comparison) at dinner tonight. Chocolate milk, juice, and Pepsi all contain almost exactly the same amount of sugar per serving. 6 tsps in 1 cup! Think of putting 6 tsps of sugar in your coffee!
Now this is an opinion that we can support!
Wow. This is the danger of health fads, or being too dogmatic in your approach to eating. What a great stunt to show that people will buy anything if it fits into their particular diet strategy.
In our experience, there is no substitute for simple, real food that has been traditionally prepared. Buyer, beware!
Trying to cut down on your sugar intake? Here's a handy-dandy guide to let you know where it might be hiding.
Do you feel like this guy, halfway through your morning? I used to. All the time but it’s not normal.
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Remember Wilford Brimley and the Quaker Oats commercials? The promise of keeping you satisfied right until lunch? I begged my parents to buy us those porridge packets because my Cheerios were just not tiding me over until lunchtime.
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Little did I (or my parents) know that both choices were setting me up for a blood sugar rollercoaster that would leave me hangry by 10 am!
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Starting the day with something sweet or carb heavy, and nothing to balance your blood sugar gets your pancreas pumping out insulin and sets you up for a big crash. Hungry and tired, you grab a muffin to tide you over until lunch and the cycle starts all over again. It’s no wonder we’re feeling like nap time mid-afternoon!
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This is not to say you can’t have carbs but make sure you’re balancing them with some healthy proteins and fats and make sure your carbs are coming in the form of whole foods (read: there’s no such thing as a Cheerios tree) A meal that consists of fibre, protein and a healthy fat slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, keeps your blood sugar stable and helps control your appetite so you’re not feeling like this guy 👇. You ‘otter’ feel better than him! (Also, Wilford Brimley became a spokesperson for diabetes.)
🤢 Is your house more European or American?
We should eat breakfast like they do in Europe.
Happy National Garlic Day! I’ve got pork chops in brine, just waiting for me to get home and marinate them in some garlicky goodness before I throw them on the BBQ. I may also add some to our veggies and potatoes. How do you get your daily dose of garlic?
I have tried the cashew version of this and it’s excellent. I’ve been looking for ways to add Brazil nuts to my diet to support my thyroid health. This may be the ticket! Does anyone have any great dairy substitutes? I’m going to have to cut it out in the near future 😢.
It’s not all about being swimsuit ready.....
Just finished watching this. It was just over an hour and so informative. If you care about your family’s health, take the time to watch this, especially if you’re taking medications. So many incredible doctors doing incredible things that we’ll never hear about because it’s not making the drug companies any money.
Starts tomorrow. Please SHARE!
PO Box 622
Minnedosa, MB
R0J 1E0
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Prairie Sky Massage -Andrea Carriere, RMT
75 Main st., Neepawa