Ingredients: 

• ~ 4 Chicken thighs / legs or left over chicken bones to make broth / homemade broth
• 1.5 cups quinoa, or rice (white or brown)
• 1-2 bouillon cubes
• 1-2 tbsp sesame oil

Garnishes: 

• Green onion (optional)
• Japanese seasoning - red chili flakes, peppercorns, black & white sesame seeds,  poppy seed, orange zest, wasabi, nori seaweed flakes (optional)
• Smoked tofu (optional)
• Red wine vinegar (optional)
• Radish (optional)
• Pork floss (optional)

*If you are curious Japanese seasoning contains red chili flakes, peppercorns, black & white sesame seeds, poppy seed, orange zest, wasabi, and nori seaweed flakes.   

Directions: 
Add the chicken bones to a large pot of water and boil until the meat is falling off of the bone.  Remove and once cooled separate the meat from the bone saving the meat for later. 
Add the quinoa and top up the water to about 8 cups and keep at a low rumbling boil until the quinoa seeds start to break apart and the entire mixture becomes thick and mushy.  This may take hours and you may need to add more water if it is sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
Towards the end you will want to be stirring constantly or remove it from the heat and let it sit and cool.  As it cools it will become even thicker.  Add the meat and sesame oil just before you take it off of the stove. 

To eat add any toppings of your choice.  My favorite is the Japanese seasoning, smoked tofu and green onion! 

To speed up the process you can start with pre-made broth or simply use bouillon only.

Enjoy!  

As reported by science daily a new research journal has just come out in the Neuroscience & Biobehaviour Journal.   It shows that social isolation may be associated with increased inflammation.  The research involved a systemic review of 30 studies looking at the effects of both loneliness and social isolation on inflammation.  Loneliness showed to increase interleukin-6 while social isolation showed to increase C-reactive protein and fibrinogen and men were more likely to display these inflammatory markers compared to women.
Based on this research I think we need to take a look at the difference between loneliness and being alone because the two are quite different.  One we can control and the other we cannot.  The one we cannot is simply an emotion - lonely and by recognizing it in the body it seems to come less often, being aware of each time you feel it allows one to redirect any negative thoughts about it, and journaling helps to get to the bottom of it! 
Now, with the lock-down dealing with the being alone issue is going to be more challenging, but not impossible.  The internet makes it easier and easier to connect; so, next time you are having a meal way not do it over Skype or messenger and with someone else?  Don't have anyone else google "Mukbang" and your guaranteed to find someone to eat with.   Netflix now has party extensions where you can get a group together and all watch at the same time.  Or my absolute favorite, having a glass of wine or cider with a friend while doing an online painting or drawing tutorial!  

If none of this works get outside into nature, do some yoga / online dance classes, keep busy cleaning and organizing, or learn a new skill!   Your health depends on it! 

Photo by Taryn Elliott

Prep 15min    Cook time 50-70min

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp psyllium husk powder (not seed or husk)
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup non-dairy milk
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup finely ground oats into a powder
• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

¼ cup oats or oat flour for dusting on the top

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, whisk the psyllium husk powder, water, milk, and apple cider vinegar.  Once it turns into a thick gelatinous mixture add the oil and honey.  Next add all of the dry ingredients just until the dry ingredients are mixed in.  If it is overmixed it will become very hard. 
Lightly roll onto a floured surface and form into two small and narrow rolls.  Dust the top with rolled oats or simply dust with oat flour (if dusting on oats you can slightly wet the top of the loaf to help them stick). 
Bake on parchment paper or on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 50-70 min (this will change based on how wet your dough is and the type of flour you use).

Enjoy!

Prepare all of your vegetables and have them ready to go.  Using scissors cut your seaweed wraps in half.  Line an assortment of your veggies, arugula, and sprouts on one side of the seaweed and roll up into a cone like shape.  I like to put the salad dressing on the lettuce with the veggies on top so that the seaweed does not get soggy and break open.  To get the edges to seal, wet them with water and press against the body of the wrap.  Next, slightly wet the bottom of the wrap and fold it upwards, again pressing smoothly to allow it to seal.
Enjoy.

Click here for my latest recipe!  (it is also found in the recipes section!)

Fish bioaccumulate heavy metals.  You may ask what does this mean?  Have you heard of a food chain?  Simply put, it is that smaller living organisms are eaten by larger organisms.  With regards to water bodies it involves bacteria, fungi, archae, and protists at the very bottom, which break up debri - these are the "decomposers" so to speak.  Next, phytoplankton (similar to a primitive plants needing sunshine to operate) take up minerals from the water, which they need to survive.  Zooplankton eat phytoplankton and small and large fish eat both. 

It becomes alarming when a water body does not have a bio-film of oxygen along the bottom, which acts to contain heavy metals.  Without it, heavy metals contained in the soil will circulate up into the water column (this is very common in small water bodies, especially if contaminated with fertilizer / sewage).  Also alarming is any industrial waste being secreted into water bodies. 

Similar to the way plants confuse heavy metals with minerals (both having similar electron configurations) they are readily taken up by algae and work their way up the food chain.  Thus, the larger the fish the greater the potential for contamination.  Also, the older the fish the more time it has had to bioaccumulate these heavy metals. 

Listed here are two great resources, one the Environmental Working Group's Fish guide, where different fish are measured for their mercury content and ranked from most toxic to least (this is particularly important for females trying to get pregnant or who already are or anyone who suspects they may have much heavy metals in their body).  The second is an article writen by Oceanus magazine, which shows how a heavy metal such as mercury can accumulate up the water column.  

I will be writing about heavy metal toxicity in future articles along with detox so please stay tuned.  Until then please eat fish responsibly.  

​Thank you for reading!

EWG Fish guide:

​Oceanus magazine article:
​https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/how-does-toxic-mercury-get-into-fish/ 

Seafood Calculator based on age, sex, and weight: 
https://www.ewg.org/research/ewg-s-consumer-guide-seafood/seafood-calculator?fish_form_weight=139&fish_form_age=adult&fish_form_gender=F&fish_form_pregnant=N&fish_form_heart_disease=N

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowel and add to an 8x8” pan lined with parchment paper.  Pack down very firmly until you have a nice smooth surface. 
Place in oven for ~ 40-50 min.  Cook for less time to have chewy bars (40 min) and cook for more time to have crispier bars (50 min).  Take them out of the oven when they are perfectly golden!  Let cool then cut.  

Notes:
You can use maple syrup or sweetened condensed milk instead of honey, but be sure to add 1 tablespoon of ground flax.  They will be crumbly, but will still taste great!

Health benefits: Poppy seed is high in fiber, B vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, and zinc.

Quick Version: mix 1.5 cup ground poppy seed, 1 cup chopped nuts, 2/3 cup honey.  Microwave for a few minutes and pack into a tray and let cool.  

Variation - try Goji berries or your favorite dried fruit!

Who says we have to age?  Is aging a disease?  A great interview with leading researcher David Sinclair, check it out below! 

​Prep 15 min   I   Cook time 30 min