{a recipe for good health}

So Thursday is the day that I had set aside in my planning to share recipes with you. I love to cook and I'm pretty good at it. (I've been told so by a chef, and he wasn't just being nice... I know because he watched me make the meal and ate every bit of it.)

But for the next month I am going on a juice fast. I recently watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and I can't wait to get started. If you haven't seen the film, watch it. Now. Here's the trailer to get you interested:

Joe Cross was on all kinds of medication, and after the fast and change in lifestyle, he's no longer suffering from his disease.

I have plantar fasciitis in both my feet. Basically, the tendon that connects my heel to my toes is severely inflammed. I had been feeling the pain for over 5 months before I finally went to the doctor, and the only reason I went was because the pain was so bad I couldn't walk on my feet. She put me on medication that is supposed to relieve the inflammation, but I haven't felt any relief for the pain. I'm afraid to exercise because even taking the dog for a walk knocks me off my feet for a few days.

After watching the film, I explored Joe's website, JointheReboot.com, I discovered all kinds of fruits and vegetables that are supposed to help with inflammation. So starting on Monday, I will be juice fasting for 30 days. I'll give you a weekly update to my journey.

Watch the fim!

{Charleston}

My favorite place on earth. Wishing I was there right now.

Happy hump day.

{Return to Life}

Have you missed me? I apologize for my long absence. There was a whole day of waiting around the DMV, and I'm working on something big that I can (hopefully!) share with you next week. But first, we have some make ups to do today.

I left off with all the broccoli from my garden which I made broccoli cheese soup with, and if I was a good blogger I would tell you it turned out amazing, never better! But the truth is the heat from the soup made the broccoli flower, giving it an earthy, bitter taste. Not delish, but not too bad either. 

The recipe involved carrots, celery, onion, garlic, chicken broth, broccoli (of course), a little milk, farmer's cheese, smoked paprika, basil, garlic salt and pepper. Not really worth sharing, but I told you I would last week.

Here's some music that I did not share yesterday, but has been stuck in my head for a few days. Yes, it was original to The Postal Service, but I like the folk-tune version so much better.

I also got some succulents planted this past weekend. All the aluminum containers were from Christmas decorations, and did have drainage. I hammered the tip of my owl into the bottom of them (much easier than I expected!!) and now they're perfect for some small plants. The long container is in my bathroom, and the pails are clustered around my living room.

Now off to get some work done on my big project!

{This Garden is Still Going!}

When we moved into our house in November, there was a small raised garden in the back yard with some beautiful lettuce, kale, swiss chard, basil, and broccoli. It is now January, and there is still broccoli growing!

Here is some of the lettuce I nabbed a couple weeks ago.

I think some broccoli cheese soup is in order for tonight! I'll share the recipe tomorrow.

{Icecapades}

Last week it actually got cold enough for some ice to form in the bottom of my new fire pit.



{ Musical Monday }

I love music. Over the last year I've really been discovering new artists that you would not find on the pop radio stations. This song is my favorite for the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=686eN4iBaCc&feature=player_detailpage

This is John Paul White from the duo The Civil Wars doing a remake of ELO's Can't Get it Out of My Head.

The song is great in itself, but I love the simplicity of the instruments and JPW's voice better than the original. JPW has a beautiful voice, but he interlaces every note with full emotion, almost a cry in each phrase. You get the feeling he is tortured by the scene from the beach because he can't find her again. And the harmonies with the cello are amazing.