Let the Good Food Roll

I was exhausted from being tired all the time and I was tired of constantly having to think about things to eliminate from my life.  I had zapped all the chemicals from my environment, my food, and my daily routine.  My world soon devolved into too much don't, don't, don't and no, no, no.  On the other hand my fibromyalgia pain was a lot better. So I couldn't complain.  (But I did anyway on days when my chronic fatigue symptoms were unrelenting and overwhelming.) 

I had taken positive steps to add more whole foods to my diet.  Now it was time to dive into the adventure of finding foods that might actually help strengthen my immune system, reduce my symptoms, and kick this disease into remission.  I was scrolling through my Facebook feed one morning when I came across the list posted above. I seldom make smoothies and I have found a lot of ways to use these foods besides in soups and salads although they are certainly delicious and easy to incorporate into those dishes.  I eat as many things off this list as I can creatively work into my menus each day.

Here are some ideas:

Sprinkle dried cherries and almonds over organic granola and mix with Greek yogurt.

Add chopped garlic to crock pot dishes, spaghetti sauce, casseroles, meat, poultry, vegetables, and,well honestly, just about everything you cook.

Make fresh ginger tea. I drink at least one cup of this each day and often enjoy two or three cups. Here's the recipe:

Fresh Ginger Tea

Use a micro plane grater to grate 1 T of fresh ginger

Put the ginger in a large mug.

Add a couple of tsp. of raw local honey.

Add the juice from one slice of lime.

Add 1/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon.

Add your favorite tea bag.

Wait for the teakettle to whistle.

Fill the mug with boiling water.

Steep for three minutes.

Remove tea bag.

Here are some tips for using and storing fresh ginger. Peel only as much as you need before grating. Never store in plastic containers or plastic wrap.  It will stay fresher longer if you pop the unused pieces into a plain brown paper lunch bag and keep in the vegetable crisper in your refrigerator. Gotta run.  For some reason I'm suddenly craving a cup of ginger tea.