healing on a budget

it's been slim pickins in the produce department. fortunately, there's a local health food store with a decent selection of reasonably priced organic vegetables. conveniently, it's just two minutes down the road from a chiropractor i've been visiting once a week, eiseman family chiropractic.

dr. eiseman is helping to alleviate the discomfort in my dominant arm as well as some pain in my neck and back, and for only $21 a visit! after just three adjustments, i'm able to crochet and type like i used to. the wiggling and cracking seems to be working. i've also been doing the dead lift exercises he suggested and consuming turmeric and celery to reduce inflammation.

it's funny, i've already been eating a lot of celery, and i've been reading about turmeric almost everyday! according to the american cancer society, "turmeric may prevent and slow the growth of a number of types of cancer. one researcher reported that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, inhibited the formation of cancer-causing enzymes in rodents." wow!

the challenge for me has been getting the turmeric in. natural health sells loose organic turmeric at a very fair price. i've been mixing it in soups, hot tea, an immunity tonic with raw apple cider vinegar, and as shown below, sprinkling it on salads.

mixed baby greens, cauliflower, carrot, homegrown fennel sprouts, raw sunflower seeds

these aren't our favorite salad components, but we've got to make do. i've come up with a quick dressing delicious enough to make any salad shine. there are no measurements; just mix olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice (i like balsamic vinegar for its sweetness) italian herbs and spices, salt, pepper and some nutritional yeast. add a splash of water or two to stretch it for your next salad. 

baby greens, button mushroom, mandolin-sliced carrot and celery and raw sunflower seeds

there are also store-bought broccoli sprouts in there. they were only $1.99 at natural health (though it's much cheaper to grow our own). while conventional stores are generally less expensive, it's possible to shop at the health food stores without breaking the budget. we are living proof of that!

the key is to be flexible and work with what is affordable. prices change with the season. if you're set on sticking to a list, expect to pay more. i had to forgo the avocado last week because it was too much. same with bananas ($1.99 a pound!), but later i found a sale on organic ($.69/pound) at our local grocery store. we also buy conventional produce if we need to.

it's been a while since i made a list for produce, but it's also been a while since i made something using a recipe. our meals have been sort of thrown together last minute. stir-fries are great for that, especially when we've got frozen bell pepper and yellow squash in the freezer.

brown rice, bell pepper, yellow squash, carrot, celery and toasted nuts

the rice was cooked in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes in a 2 to 1 ratio of water to rice. the sauce was a simple mix of tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) minced garlic, ginger, and a splash of agave. the nuts were lightly toasted with maple syrup, olive oil, chinese five spice powder, cayenne and black pepper. they would make a nice jar of mixed nuts for a holiday gift!

last year, i made jars of spiced mixed nuts as gifts for the the gentlemen. it was the day before madji passed. she was sick, but i was so sure she'd get better. i've been thinking about her a lot. sometimes i feel her when kati and i sit together. kati has helped heal our broken hearts, but i think i'll always have a little ache for my biggles. she was so sweet!

but so's this one. kati really wanted to go out but it was way too cold, so she figured she'd do the next best thing - lay in the plumeria pot! she cracks us up! the warm fuzzies i get from her are most conducive to my healing on all levels. just look at that face!=)