Posted by terrepruitt on April 12, 2011
I was going off the “recipe” for Green Garlic and Spinach Soup, but I was not measuring and making it up as I went along so the measurements are not exact.
When I served it I put some mozzarella in it. For hubby I put some raw onions and mozzarella. But I made him taste it BEFORE I added anything and he thought is was good without the added onions and cheese. I would imagine if you like pepper it would be a GREAT addition to this soup. I was going to serve it with hot sauce to my hubby because originally I thought it was going to be rather flavorless, but it turned out not to be flavorless and he liked it.
Keep in mind that I made this up, never having made a soup like this and never having used the immersion blender. So you might want to read my “Experimental Soup” post so that you know some of the issues if you haven’t done something like this before. Basically keep an eye on things because this post is not a step by step, “turn stove on, turn stove off” kind of recipe.
Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup
–olive oil
–1/2 (ish) of a medium sized onion chopped
–some chopped onion (for garnish)
–2 bundles of baby bok choy
(chopped, bottom portion separate from leafy portion)
–2 or 3 tsp of minced garlic
–garlic powder
–garlic salt
–48 oz of chicken broth
–some beer
–shake or two of teriyaki
–1 6-oz bag of spinach
–1.5 (ish) wooden spoonful of cream cheese
–mozzarella
Sautee onions in the olive oil. When the onions look tender add in the chopped bottom portion of the bok choy. Let it cook a minute, then add the garlic. While the bok choy is cooking, add garlic powder and garlic salt to help the veggies sweat. Sautee until tender. Then pour in the broth. Added some beer and teriyaki.
Stir it as you feel necessary throughout the entire process.
Bring to boil. Add the cream cheese if you are going to use it. Add leafy portion of the bok choy and bag of spinach. Gently boil for a few minutes or until the veggies are wilted.
Once the veggies looked wilted use the blender to mix it all up.
Ok, so if you try this let me know. If you make changes let me know. Sometimes I just stick to what I have tried because I don’t wanna ruin a good thing so you can do the experimenting for me and let me know what you’ve done that works! 😉
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: baby bok choy, Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup, beer, bok choy, chicken broth, cream cheese, emulsion blender, Experimental Soup, garlic powder, garlic salt, green garlic, green garlic and spinach soup, immersion blender, spinach | 11 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 9, 2011
On the way to teach my Los Gatos Nia Class on Friday I thought that I would be making soup on a warm day. By the time Nia class was over it was getting cloudy. I was thinking it might turn into a good day for soup. I was going to attempt the Green Garlic Spinach Soup. On the way to class I decided to shop at the store somewhat on the way home from the fitness place. I had never been there and was hopeful they would have green garlic. Since it looks like a scallion I was thinking that I had seen it in stores before and I just didn’t know what it was. Well, some of the produce at the store was less than desirable. I passed on the collard greens and I couldn’t find the green garlic. I had my mind made up that I was going to make soup using my emulsion blender. I decided that I would make baby bok choy and spinach soup. I am going to share about the soup making process and issues in this post. My next post (Tuesday) will be the “recipe”.
I bought the basic ingredients I would use. By the time I left the store it was cold and cloudy. Perfect day for soup. When I got home I decided to get out the blender to figure out what blade to use and to wash the blade. I neglected to look at the blade my friend used. In looking at the instructions I was thinking “blade C” would be the right blade.
Since I’ve never cooked bok choy before and I didn’t really know if it would work, I decided to sauté the bottom portion of the stalk and save the leafy part to add to the soup at the same time as the spinach. I sautéed the veggies. When I finally added the broth I was thinking this soup was going to be pretty flavorless so I added some of a beer that was open in the fridge. It was a Hefeweizen. So it was going to add some heartiness. I also put in a dash or two of teryiaki. I let it boil then added the leafy part of the bok choy and the spinach. I thought my friend had just let it cook long enough to wilt it.
Oh, I didn’t yet mention that I don’t have a stock pot. Maybe some of you know where this is going. 🙂
The instructions for the blender said that when you use blade C use it in a chopping motion. Ok. So I stuck the blender in the pot with one little pulse I thought, “Hmmm . . . . I should cover this.” With the next “whrrrrr”, I thanked God because I was going to heat some bread in the oven on foil but decided not to and I think that having the piece of foil out already is what kind of made me think to use it. Even with the foil it made a mess. I used blade C but it wasn’t getting creamy. So I added some cream cheese. Not part of the original soup plan. I tried blending again. Still not creamy, I added the rest of the spinach. Still not as creamy as my friend’s soup.
I decided to use a different blade. Blade B. I put it on and put the blender in the pot and it did absolutely nothing. So I decided to go back to blade C. Now mind you, I was very careful to unplug the blender, and detach the stick from the motor. So I walk over to the place where I have to blade removal tool and there is no blade. Well, no wonder it wasn’t doing anything! So I fished the blade out of the soup. I put it back on and it still didn’t do anything. So I was going to change back to blade C and guess what? Blade B was back in the soup.
I tried blade C again. By now, I am using a portion of a lid and foil (I have this half metal half plastic lid and the plastic always falls out leaving the metal “rim” — so I was using that to help keep the mess down). There was still green soup dripped all over the sides of the pot and all over the burner. So I decided to use yet a different blade, the Raw Meat blade.
I never really got ALL the secondary spinach chopped up clean and the soup never got creamy. But my hubby said over and over again it was good. He said it was a keeper. The next day (today) he was still talking about it and said I had to post the recipe on my blog. I thought that those of you that make soup and those of you that use an immersion blender would enjoy hearing about how I made soup a mess by not using a stock pot or the correct blade.
Do you know which blade I should be using to blend the veggies and have it come out creamy? Also, tell me how to use the blender. Do I move it around like a hand mixer or set it at the bottom of the pot, then blend, then pick it up and set it back down, etc.?
Posted in Just stuff, Misc | Tagged: baby bok choy, Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup, Collard Greens, creamy soup, emulsion blender, emulsion blender use, Experimental Soup, fitness, green garlic, Green Garlic Spinach Soup, immersion blender, Los Gatos Nia Class, Nia, Nia class, scallion, soup lesson, stock pot | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 7, 2011
Ok, so I haven’t made it yet, and I didn’t make up the recipe, but I plan on making it. I found my instructions for my immersion blender. It is an old one. It is a Thane Thunder Stick Pro. I can’t find the year on the instructions, but I know that I bought it since I’ve lived here. That has been within the last 12 years. Ha! I know they have improved since then. If I end up using it as much as I hope I will just have to get a new one.
Anyway, the recipe for teriyaki sauce is as follows:
I will definitely experiment with this because I will avoid the “artificial sweetener” and MSG. I might just try the below recipe from allrecipes.com.
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking sherry
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
I am sure someone has mentioned to me to make my own teriyaki because I LOVE teriyaki and I don’t like the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) used in the brand I normally by. I had a friend call me recently to tell me of a brand that didn’t have HFCS but the choices were spicy and ginger or something.
So, I will just try to make my own. Not that I have to use the blender, but why not?
Do you like teriyaki?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: artificial sweetner, cooking sherry, emulsion blender, ginger, HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, immersion blender, MSG, teriyaki, teriyaki sauce, Thunder Stick Pro | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 5, 2011
Last week one of my friends posted something on her Facebook page about green garlic. I meant to ask her about it when I talked to her but I forgot. Then she visited my blog and made a comment that included green garlic. She said she had posted a recipe of green garlic and spinach soup. She has many things that she makes that I want to try and I told her I put that on my list, well, I can cross it off. She had me over to lunch and she made green garlic soup.
First of call green garlic is somewhat what it sounds like. It is not GREEN so much as it is “new’ or not yet read to be mature garlic garlic. It looks like a scallion, but it is the garlic before it starts changing into cloves and a bulb.
I was able to witness this being made and she made it look so easy. Much easier than the recipe looked. She made a creamy soup without any cream. It is awesome. I need to find my immersion blender and start using it and I too will be able to make creamy soups and sauces without cream.
She cut up the green garlic. Sautéed it in olive oil. She used a little bit of butter, maybe a teaspoon or two. She cooked it until it was tender. Then she poured in a box of stock. I spotted the recipe and it called for vegetable stock, but as we were dining she said she used chicken. So I am going to use whichever one I can find without Canola Oil. 🙂 Then she put in a huge bunch of spinach. It wilted quickly then she blended it all in the pot.
It was gorgeous. It was delicious. It has to be nutritious because it was garlic, olive oil, spinach, and low sodium chicken stock. Oh, she did add crème fraîche to the bottom of our bowls, but that could be left out.
I can’t wait to find my blender’s directions so I can change the blade and get to making soups. I sure it will happen just in time as the weather changes.
If my friend happens to read this and wants to correct, add, or change anything in my notes on her recipe please do. Also, if you are here . . . . thank you so much. Thank you for visiting and thank you for having me over for your yummy soup and closet shopping!
Soup? Do you make your own soup? What is your favorite recipe?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: blender, chicken stock, closet shopping, emulsion, emulsion blender, Facebook, Facebook page, favorite soup recipe, green garlic, green garlic and spinach soup, green garlic soup, immersion blender, olive oil, spinach, vegatable stock | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 2, 2011
You might have noticed that everything I do is on my way home from teaching Nia. It is true, I tend to run my errands after my Nia Classes. I am out, so it is easy to just stop to pick up what we need. Two issues with going to a store after I teach 1) I usually look akin to a drown rat with my sweaty limp flat hair and 2) I am usually hungry. 
I am one of those people who should not go shopping when they are hungry. I end up walking down the aisles where dinner ideas start popping in my head. With menus forming into my head as I am shopping sometimes I end up backtracking and going on all over the store. By the time I get all that I need I am really hungry. There are a lot of foods that I don’t even bother bringing in the house. I work hard not to eat the “junk food” but sometimes when I am hungry and it is there, I will eat it. Therefore some things are “banned” from being in the house like potato chips, ice cream, candy, cookies, and stuff like that.
There is no need for that stuff to be in the house. But there are other things that aren’t necessarily “junky” foods that become unhealthy when you eat the whole bag or box. Two such foods I should really just keep out of the house are sunflower seeds and cereal. You know I love sunflower seeds because I have posted about them. I love them. I can eat a whole lot of them. There is a lot of fat in sunflower seeds so eating a lot of them just adds a lot of extra fat. They have 17 grams of fat in 1/4 of a cup. Extra nutrients are not good. Not matter whether it is fat, protein, or carbohydrates.
The cereal is Kashi 7 Whole Grain Honey Puffs. I think these things are like Super Sugar Crisps. Remember that cereal. I love cereal but I know it is not really a healthful food. For one serving this cereal has 1 gram of fat, 80 grams of potassium, 25 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein. So it is really something that should be considered a treat. To me it is just like a desert. (Hanging my head) I eat it like I will not be allowed another meal. This is a confession here people.
I just need to NOT buy this cereal. Every time I buy it I do good for a day or two and then–whoosh, it’s gone. I know this, but when I go shopping after Nia I am really hungry and I think I can eat it as I believe it should be eaten, as a treat, maybe every other day and according to the serving size, but I never manage that. I need to just not buy it.
What about you? Is there a food you think you are better off just not having in the house at all? Is it a snack food? Is it something that might be considered somewhat healthy when eaten in the proper portion?
Posted in Food | Tagged: banned foods, confession, dinner menus, healthy food, junk food, Kashi cereal, Nia Classes, Nia Teacher, Sunflower seeds, SuperSugar Crisps, teaching Nia, Whole grain | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 31, 2011
The doctor in my Nia Class had given me the homeopathic medicine, Trauma. I really liked it so I asked for more. She said that she likes Traumeel, so I agreed to try it. Both of them say they relieve the same things (muscular pain, sprains, pulls, and bruises). The first ingredient in the Traumeel is Calendula officinalis, which is the fourth ingredient in Trauma and it shows “Garden Marigold” in parenthesis. This ointment has a lot of the same ingredients as Trauma but they are in a different order. So this ointment is very similar to the Trauma.
It is a bit greasy and has a slight odor. I just put some of it on along with some Trauma for comparison. After I put the Traumeel on I had to wash my hand. It is not extremely greasy but just greasy enough that I can’t just rub it into my hand. I am actually not convinced it works as well as the Truama. It actually smells like medicine, somewhat like a band-aid, it is not a strong odor, but compared to the Trauma it is strong because Trauma has absolutely NO odor at all.
When I was talking to my Nia student about Traumeel she mentioned that they have an oral medicine that can be taken. My Nia friend mentioned it too, in the comments of the post regarding Trauma. I was able to find informatnoi on the internet, Trauma has an oral medicine too. I have not taken either medicine orally.
Posting about these products is my way of getting information to people. I am sharing my opinion on the products so that you can learn something about them and then decide for yourself which one you might be interested in using yourself if you are interested in homeopathic medicine. I also welcome my readers sharing what they know. Having readers comment and share is the best part.
I have concluded that I like the Trauma better. I feel it works, whereas I don’t get the same sense from the Traumeel. As stated in this post, I put them both on. I put the Traumeel on my knee (which gets tired from my odd gait) and I put the Trauma on my toe (foot and a few other toes). My toes and foot feel nice, but my knee feels the same. The Traumeel is a bit greasy, whereas I think the Trauma is more of a soft cream that actually moisturized the area I have used it on. I smell a slight odor with the Traumeel but nothing with the Trauma.
Have any of you tried them both? Any of you tried either? What are your thoughts?
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: bruises, Calendula officinalis, Garden Marigold, homeopathic medicine, homeopathic ointment, muscular pain, Nia class, Nia student, pulls, sprains, Trauma, Traumeel | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 29, 2011
There seems to be so many reasons one can get hiccups they don’t really know what EXACTLY causes them. What happens when you have the hiccups is the diaphragm contracts repeatedly. Sometimes when we suck air in really fast we make the “hic” sound. I know sometimes I have very loud hiccups. Sometimes they are so strong they hurt. I don’t really like the hiccups, they are disruptive. There are many remedies to get rid of the hiccups. I have one that I use and it works EVERY SINGLE TIME.
One remedy is to eat a package of sugar . . . . at least that is one that I know of. A package of sugar is less than a teaspoon. I have never tried it, but my husband, the person that told me about it, has used this method. He said it works.
My sure-fire cure for the hiccups is drinking water. The trick is to drink the water with your ears plugged. So you either need someone to help you or you need a straw. Plug your ears and drink through the straw or have someone plug your ears for you. I drink as much water as I can before I have to take a breath of air. They go way . . . . every time. I have never had this method fail me.
What is your method? Or what have you heard of? What have you tried that didn’t work?
On an unrelated note — please remember my Nia Class in Los Gatos where I will be collecting donations for the American Cancer Society – Relay for Life is April 17th. If you are local, I hope to see you there.
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: contracting diaphragm, diaphragm contractions, disruptive hiccups, donations for American Cancer Society, hiccup, hiccup cure, hiccup remedy, hiccups, Los Gatos Nia, loud hiccups, Nia class, Nia Los Gatos, painful hiccups, Relay For Life, sugar hiccup remedy, workout in Los Gatos | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 26, 2011
I love garlic. I made dinner tonight with a ton of garlic and it is just so yummy. Garlic is part of the onion family. It is often referred to as the “stinking rose”. Garlic itself is quite aromatic. If you eat enough of it, it usually lingers on your breath and seeps out through your pours via sweat. During digestion a portion of it cannot be digested and gets into the blood where it is excreted through lungs and skin. Aside from making you aromatic 😉 , garlic seems to help with a lot of things in the body.
There is a protein needed to move iron around in the body, while garlic does not have this protein in it garlic may help the body increase its production. Garlic is also proving to be an anti-inflammatory. Which affects the circulatory system, the muscular system, and our bones. The properties in garlic assist in the blood not clumping and in keep the vessels open. Garlic has been shown to reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol.
If you like garlic you shouldn’t hesitate to eat it, cook with it, and use it generously. Unless, of course you are taking the type of medications that might act adversely with a large quantity of garlic.
This food helps with infections from both bacteria and viruses. I remember watching the Doctor Oz show where he said a clove of garlic in the ear over night can eliminate an ear infection. It might help in the treatment of some infections that are resistant to antibiotics. Garlic has a long history of being used in a medicinal fashion.
My family used to eat sautéed garlic. It is very strong when cooked and eaten this way. I think that roasting it tends to cut down on the bitter that comes out when frying it. Roasting helps bring out the sweetness.
I never made a marinade without garlic. I use garlic a lot. Tonight I cooked broccoli in minced garlic and sprinkled powered garlic on the pasta.
I didn’t realize that some people have a fear of garlic. This phobia is called alliumphobia. I guess I did know that there was a fear of garlic—I would think that vampires suffer from alliumphbia. 🙂
Do you like garlic? How do you use it? Do you cook with it? Do you use fresh garlic? Do you use garlic powder?
Posted in Food | Tagged: alliumphobia, anti-inflammatory, antiboiotics, curculatory system, garlic, lower cholesterol, muscular system, onion, reduce blood pressure, stinking rose, vampires | 9 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 24, 2011
Holy Moly! Our weather has been wet lately. Really wet. No, not as wet as a tsunami and it will not leave as much devastation as was left in Japan. But it is really wet for us. I am glad I teach Nia inside. It has been raining for days, but for us, here in San Jose we have had hours, even a day when it has stopped. This is La Niña. I had to look it up, because when my husband and I got married 13 years ago there was El Niño. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: “The 1997/98 El Niño ranks as one of the major climatic events of this century.”
The administration studied the information available and was able to predict as early as January 1997 that the winter of 1997/98 was going to be wet. As the year progressed they became more confident with their predictions of heavy rainfall and flooding. So I had heard all of this while planning our outdoor wedding. We had a plan if it rained or if the ground was too wet, good thing because that is what ended up happening. It rained the day of and the ground was too wet for us to be outside. Because El Niño is a warm type of storm pattern we were actually able to go outside for a few pictures.
This storm we are having now is cold. That is why I looked it up because I remember hearing that this year was an La Niña year and I didn’t know the difference between the El Niño and the La Niña. Colder than normal temperatures is the characteristics of La Niña. Another characteristic is that it follows El Niño. I remember there being rain last winter, but it didn’t seem more than normal and the temperatures weren’t as cold. It seems as if we have these weather patterns all the time. I guess we only really hear about them when they are really severe.
Right now the rain is causing flooding and landslides. We are fortunate because with raining happening non-stop in some areas there can be planning and people can take precautions. There is time in some cases to prepare. Not always, early this week I heard that an area where there was only one way in and one way out got closed off. The gulch had a landslide so those that were IN the neighborhood were stuck and those that were out were stuck. Some people are being evacuated. My heart goes out to them. I hope they remain safe and are able to come back to a home intact.
I’m just thinking out loud. I was curious about the weather. I also keep thinking that this is a long period of rain, but I keep thinking 40 days and 40 nights must have really seemed like forever. Also as much water as we are getting it is still not as much as Japan. I guess I keep thinking about Japan. I hope you are too, not to dwell and be upset, but to hold space for them. To pray for them and to think positive thoughts.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: bad weather March 2011, El Nina, El Nino, flooding of March 2011, Japan March 2011, Japan tsunami, La Nina, La Nino, March 2011, National Oceanic and Atmospheri Adminstartion, Nia San Jose, NOAA, San Jose Nia, San Jose rain, San Jose Weather, storm patters, weather prediction, wet weather | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 22, 2011
I’ve mentioned that one day after Nia Class I learned one of my students is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor. How I learned that, she told me to try the Wet Sock Treatment. She also gave me a homeopathic medicine called Trauma. The box says it is for temporary relief of pain and inflammation from injuries, muscle sprains and pulls, bruises and trauma. I said I would try it even though I am a fan of Zheng Gu Shui. I have been wanting to post about this since I got it because it is pretty awesome. I am a fan of it too.
It is so nice because unlike Zheng Gu Shui it does not have a scent. It also does not stain anything. It also is not drying. I think it actually moisturizes. It is a cream so it is much easier to apply than Zheng Gu Shui which is a liquid. It is so scent free and residue free that I would often put it on after I got in bed and would just go right to sleep without even bother to wash my hands.
It has arnica in it and I have been told that arnica is great for bruises and it helps with inflammation. It has many other flowers and herbs, including witch hazel, chamomile, and echinacea. I would recommend people try it if they have the need for an ointment of this type.
This “problem” with it is according to the package and the website it is only “available through licensed providers and pharmacists”. Maybe that means you can actually get it at a pharmacy. I didn’t even think to look. Well, if you are interested in trying a homeopathic medicine that has no scent yet gives great relief maybe you can check.
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: arnica, chamomile, echinacea, homeopathic medicine, Naturopathic Doctor, Nia, Nia class, Nia fan, ointment for bruises, ointment for sore muscles, Trauma, trauma cream, trauma ointment, witch hazel, Zheng Gu Shui | 9 Comments »
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