Soup for the Soul and all the Healing that goes with it...

It's that time of year. Everyone at the office is running around with a runny nose, coughing and sneezing and you've got someone with a Man Cold at home (the man cold is REAL people. and if you're a woman reading this, you can sympathize. and if you're a man, be honest, you know it's true)

I have a few staple tricks in my back pocket that work like a charm, every time.

If you, or anyone in your life is feeling achy, sluggish, drained and like you're about to fight something you don't want, or need your man to NOT catch the Man Cold, apply these 4 things and I'm certain you've got one up on whatever's coming your way.

First things first...there is a magical tincture that I keep close at all times. Dose up on this potent tincture COLD AND SINUS BLASTER by Vitality Works (*not sponsored). Even if it's not a cold OR in your sinuses, the primary ingredients are exactly what your system needs to battle the demons. I've tried other brands and other tinctures and this is the only one that has proven to work without fail, every time. Instructions will tell you to add to 8oz of water, skip that, take a full dropper-full straight and follow with a few sips of water if needed. Potent magic. Take 2-3 times a day for 2 days.

Second, make a little concoction of 5 drops of Oregano Oil (or whatever the dosage is for a brand you like) and a dose of an Echinacea Goldenseal tincture in 4 oz of water and take it down. Take once daily for 2-3 days.

Third, give yourself some delicious love with 1-2 Tbsp of raw Manuka Honey a day. Unlike any other honey, the nutritional benefits of Manuka are 4x that of regular flower honey giving it a UMF (unique manuka factor - a global standard in identifying and measuring the antibacterial strength). Make sure the manuka honey is labeled with the standard UMF rating of 16+ or greater for the medicinal benefits. Take it straight by the spoonful, but if that's too sweet for you, add to your warm tea.

And lastly, make this delicious soup or any variation of the basic recipe below. Use whatever root vegetables you have on hand, swap the orzo for pasta or rice, add extra greens, and slurp away.

Just what the doctor ordered ..

And perhaps you're just in need of cozying up with something warm, hearty and inviting. Let's face it, we all need to feel swaddled at times and this comforting soup does just that. 

Chicken and Lemon Orzo Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 carrots, chopped

• 3 celery stalks, chopped

• 3 parsnips, chopped

• 4 c chicken broth and 2 c water

• 1 c orzo

• 1 small parmesan rind

• zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 a rotisserie chicken, separated into bite-sized pieces

• 4 c chopped kale

• 1 c chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in large dutch oven or soup pot. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute until translucent. Add carrots, parsnips and celery and saute until fork tender.

2. Add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Add orzo and parmesan rind and cook until orzo is al dente.

3. Add chicken, kale, lemon juice and zest, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

STAY WARM, STAY HEALTHY PEOPLE.

Recovery + Nutrition: Eat This!

Injuries happen. And they stink, right?

As science tells us over and over again, our workouts and healing are only as good as our recovery - and that not only means what we do, but what we eat. So here's the scoop.

(Side note on me: on January 2, 2016, the last day of our little holiday vacation in BC, I had a tumble filled with multiple 'pops' and 'snaps' while clenching my teeth wanting to scream 'F$!%#!!!!!!!!!!' Our trip ended with a sweet heli lift out of the backcountry and a completely re-torn ACL accompanied with an MCL that looked like a dried-out, stretched-out rubberband. Blech.)

It's been 5 weeks of non-stop recovery for me and I want to share with you my top priority when recovering. Did you know that WHAT you eat when healing from an injury can play a huge role in your recovery and be extremely beneficial in combating those aches and pains? Here's why.

Any time you experience an injury, there are:

Three Phases of Tissue Repair

Inflammation | Repair | Remodeling

These phases happen not only during post-injury, but immediately after your intense workouts as well. Every time you train hard (while incredibly beneficial in the long term) you are creating tiny tears and breakdown of the tissue (in a good way!) and it requires proper rest, recovery and nutrition to help rebuild and increase strength. I bring this up to encourage you to apply some of the tidbits below to your workout recovery as well. Being conscious of a balanced diet helps support this repair and may also help prevent future injuries. BONUS! 

The inflammation Phase

The Response:

The inflammation phase begins immediately after an injury and lasts for 3-5 days. This phase, while uncomfortable, is an essential period of healing consisting of pain, swelling and immobility. Adding in certain anti-inflammatory foods during this time will help with this healthy inflammation without impeding the internal repair, which is key.

During this immobilization phase, there is also a decrease in muscle protein synthesis, therefore leading to muscle loss (atrophy), making it imperative you get adequate protein to support the healing.

Nutrition Focus: 

OMEGAS - A diet high in monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fats will be anti-inflammatory. Omega-3 fatty acids – the best sources of which are found in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, trout), olive oil, avocados, flax oil, and mixed nuts and seeds.

BROMELAIN: Found in Pineapple - 2 cups of fresh pineapple per day or 500-1000 mg in supplement form. Not only is Pineapple high in bromelain - an enzyme believed to have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and promote muscle healing - it's also high in Vitamin C.

QUERCETIN: CHIVES AND GREEN ONIONS - Quercetin helps to increase circulation, bringing more blood flow to and from the injured tissue and manages inflammation.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY HERBS AND SPICES: Manage your inflammation with some (NOT ALL) of the following. We don't want to suppress the inflammation response completely, we just want to manage it:

TURMERIC/CURCUMIN - Turmeric contains anti-inflammatory properties that can help with joint pain. Studies have shown that 2 g of curcumin daily was just as effective as 800mg ibuprofen for improving knee pain. 7 teaspoons/day or 400-600 mg 3x/d in the form of a supplement. 

GARLIC - 2-4 cloves per day or 600-1200 mg extract

GINGER - 2-3 g per day in powdered form. Studies have shown that women taking 3g/day of ginger or cinnamon had a significant decrease in muscle soreness.

FLAVANOIDS - Flavonoids, which are potent antioxidants like Vitamin C (citrus) and Selenium (blue-purple berries, tart cherries, green tea extract and cocoa) are effective for wound healing and inflammation management.

COCOA - Eh-hem. Just the perfect excuse to eat chocolate. 

CONSUME ADEQUATE PROTEIN: It is incredible important to ensure you are getting in enough protein to help rebuild tissue (this can be as simple as a portion of lean meat or fish the size of the palm of your hand with each meal)

*Attempt to eat fewer pro-inflammatory foods such as processed foods, foods high in trans fats and vegetable oils

The Repair/Proliferation Phase

The Response:

This phase begins roughly 5 days post injury and lasts for 4-6 weeks. As the inflammation goes down, your body begins to lay down collagen (scar tissue) to replace the damaged tissue structure.

(Think about it like this: spread your fingers wide on your right hand and lay it flat on the table or over an injured joint (like your knee) as if it was a sticky spider web, and then take your left hand, spread the fingers wide and lay it directly over your right hand but at a diagonal to create a cross-pattern. Visualize this repeating over and over, creating this sticky, adhesive, messy webbing. That's collagen. It's messy, but it's protective.) 

When we are fearful of pain or are experiencing pain and restricting our range of motion (ROM), as the body begins to lay down this collagen, it will start to bind the muscle fibers together as well as bind the connective tissue to the muscles and joint and in the end you'll be left with painfully restricted ROM. No bueno. 

Nutrition Focus:

Continue consuming foods from the Inflammation Phase above.

VITAMIN C - Vitamin C is crucial for collagen synthesis – the protein found in connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and muscle – and is also a potent antioxidant, enhancing immune cell function. Since the body can't store Vitamin C, it should be consumed throughout the day from high sources such as bell peppers, dark green leafy vegetables, parsley, brassicas and citrus fruits. 

ZINC - My favorite excuse to eat oysters! Zinc, essential for tissue regeneration, is obtainable from shellfish, lean beef or lamb and pumpkin seeds and nuts (such as almonds - which also provide copper) for collagen synthesis. 15-30mg/d. If taking zinc, balance it with copper - an excess in one can cause a deficiency in the other.

SUPPLEMENTS TO CONSIDER: Supplementing with LYSINE, ARGININE and GLYCINE 2-4 weeks post-injury to help with re-establishing collagen, COPPER 2-4 mg/d during the first few weeks and VITAMIN A 10,000 IU/d for 1-2 weeks post-injury.

The Remodeling Phase

The Response:

During the third or fourth week, strength training becomes so important for a full recovery and lasts about six months. (This is where I am right now!) This is the time where stressing the muscles and connective tissue improves your function and stimulate growth.

Nutrition Focus:

• Continue all the powerful and healing superfoods you've added in during the first phase

• Adjust portion sizes for adequate energy consumption

• Focus on a healthy nutrient-dense diet, incorporating healing foods

• Consume protein with every meal

• Eat a balance of healthy fats

• Avoid processed foods

• Eat the rainbow for micronutrients involved in healing

• Consume herbs and spices for anti-inflammatory support

• Add in the below micronutrients for enhanced support and strength

 

Anytime

chlorophyll

The building blocks of plants are filled with detoxifying and anti-inflammatory nutrients and not to mention this gorgeous, colorful, tasteless, magnificent powder (or liquid) you can add to ANYTHING. 

heal up babies. i'm doing my best, now you do yours.

Healthy, Healing...Soup.

A few weeks ago, on a rainy afternoon after an intense spin class, my body craved a big bowl of healthy, healing...soup. That meant a a flavorful , healing broth packed with plenty of goodness to warm me up from the inside out, filled with some healthy delicious protein and delicious spring veggies.  After multiple requests for the recipe, here you go! Simple, easy and absolutely delicious.

WARM GINGER MISO BROTH + ROASTED WILD KING SALMON + BOK CHOY + SUGAR SNAP PEAS + ENGLISH PEAS + SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Prep Time : 15 min  |  Cooking Time : 20 min  |  Serves : 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1/2 a small yellow onion, minced

• 1/2 small leek, thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

• 2 tbsp tamari

• 4 c vegetable broth

• 2 tbsp white miso

• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 1 baby bok choy, trimmed and divided

• 1 c sugar snap peas, trimmed

• 1/2 c english peas, blanched

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 2-4oz pieces wild king salmon fillet

• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Ginger Miso Broth: Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for a few minutes until translucent and softened, but not browned. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant and softened. Stir in the tamari to meld the flavors. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Ladle 1 c of the broth into a small bowl and whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add miso broth back into pot and let simmer. Adjust seasoning with tamari or miso if desired.

2. Season salmon with salt and pepper and let sit to bring to room temperature.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tsp sesame oil until shimmering. Add shiitake mushrooms in a single layer and brown on each side, until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add bok choy and sugar snap peas and cook until lightly cooked through and beginning to brown in spots. Remove from pan and set aside with mushrooms.

4. Add 1 tsp sesame oil to same pan and heat until shimmering. Add salmon fillets and cook 3-4 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and let rest.

5. Assemble Soup: Arrange bok choy, sugar snap peas, english peas and shiitake mushrooms in two bowls. Pour broth over the top and place salmon in center. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve warm.