Archive for November, 2012

Ding Dongs and Flu Shots

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

Sister Mary Catherine.
Vocation Day 1964.
Daughters of Charity.

 

 

Sister Mary Catherine has her own take on the flu shot debate. Never one to shy away from controversy, Sister Mary Catherine ponders the shot-no shot dilemma and asks the question most of us are just too embarrassed  (or educated) to ask:

“If flu shots are ineffective and Twinkies deliver the same toxic load, then can I skip the flu shot and just have a Twinkie instead?”

 

 

 

 

By Sister Mary Catherine

 

Flu shots give me the heebie jeebies. They just don’t make sense to me; and I have personally witnessed some serious and permanent reactions that would make anyone swear off them. One memory involved a very young man in a brand new wheel chair being pushed by his shell-shocked and betrayed mother. I had the doctor appointment following his. When I questioned the doctor about what I had seen, he gave me a deep sad frown and said simply – flu shot aftermath.  I wonder which part of the flu shot recipe caused his lifelong debilitating injury?

This is one recipe I don’t recommend:

“Before you vaccinate for the flu, you should understand what is in the vaccine. (more…)

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CREAMY SLATHERED SPINACH SALAD

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

I love this recipe because it goes together quickly, the flavors are complex and it has great CHEW; everything that factors into a staple around our house. I can’t tell you how often we have this treat.



SPINACH SALAD

Throw chopped red bell pepper, cucumber and raisins on pre-washed spinach. Then slather with the following:

ROSEMARY RANCH DRESSING and DIP*

1 ¼ cups water

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 large clove garlic

1 rounded cup cashews, unsoaked

1/3 cup macadamia nuts, unsoaked

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder

¾ tsp celery seed

3 TBSP fresh rosemary, chopped

Throw all of the above (except the rosemary) in the Vitamix and have at it. Pulse in the rosemary. Once this spinach salad is dressed, I love to sprinkle with sea vegetables to up the flavor and nutrition. We have Maine Coast Organic Dulse Granules and Organic Kelp Granules on hand, right next to our salt and pepper shakers. You will grow to love them. A future blog on the importance of Iodine will reinforce that love.

I also like to go half-baked raw with this to the delight of team Duggan. I make scrambled eggs with lots of sautéed veggies and maybe some dollops of goat cheese. I fill half the plate with the scrambled eggs and half the plate with slathered spinach salad. It really pumps up traditional breakfast into a super substantial meal and helps to keep you away from the sugary sides like gluten free toast.

Enjoy!

Regarding the *.

  • Remember, sometimes we like to have our broccoli salad with baked potatoes. I am not so sure on the value of potatoes. Okay, I think they are a problem because they cause inflammation. But it’s hard to have this many folks of Irish heritage gathered around the table and not occasionally serve them. Here’s my compromise: instead of butter and sour cream, we slather them with the ROSEMARY RANCH Dressing. Divine.
  • Re: Dip. Make the crudite just as you would normally. Swap out the Hidden Valley Ranch with ROSEMARY RANCH. There’s no going back.

 

I got this recipe from Kristen Suzanne’s Easy Raw Vegan Holidays and I have tweaked it just a bit. But, KS is such an incredible raw goddess that I know she will forgive me. Don’t let the title scare you. Carnivores will love the boldness of this salad. It can be combined with an entrée, or be the entrée. In the summer I make deviled eggs to serve along side as team Duggan loves that little bit of 1950s picnic.

 

 

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RAW FOODS HEALED MY BROCCOLI HATE

Monday, November 12th, 2012

By Mary Duggan

I mean really, I couldn’t stand it. There was not enough butter and lemon in the world to make me like broccoli. The following raw foods recipe is what healed my broccoli hate. I now eat broccoli all the time and enjoy it immensely. When I am really righteous I eat this recipe alone or with: sliced tomatoes, a pepper stuffed with nut pate, a cup of raw soup or jicama sticks. 

 

Broccoli with boiled potatoes

When I am sharing my meal with someone just leaning into raw, or flirting with raw; okay, it’s silly how we try to talk about all of this. When I am eating this with someone who wants a little warmth on the plate, I boil up a bag of those wonderful small organic heirloom potatoes that are so colorful some are even purple. Then I toss them in a bowl with salt pepper chopped parsley and butter; again for the righteous flax oil would be way yummy and much healthier. This is now a plateful of wonderful. My family loves it. Yours will too, I promise.

 

Broccoli with baked potatoes

I’ll share another fun variation (more…)

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WHY WE MAKE BUG REPELLENT

Sunday, November 4th, 2012

The summer of 2012 will be remembered for a long and destructive drought. For the sisters though there is also the memory of a new product launch. Read as Mary reflects on the sisters’  decision to incur substantial expense and big-time stress to expand their wellness message to include mosquito-born-disease. A recent article in the home town paper made it all seem worth the while. 

By Mary Duggan

Folks are always suggesting new products for the Sisters to make. How about detergent or shampoo? Can’t you do something for my cuticles? My answer is always the same. We try to take on the products that no one else is doing, or no one else is doing well. The more complete answer – they also have to really matter. Deodorant does and so does bug repellent.

 

In 1958 I hoola-hooped with abandon while my parents feared Polio Virus. Daily naps were mandatory.

 

I have had a life long problem with mosquitoes. (more…)

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