Helping someone in need, Doing hard things, and a Secret ingredient, January 21, 2022

I have the sweetest job. It does not seem like work at all, for I visit a neighbor every day for an hour and help stimulate her brain. I advise on medications and will be an advocate with the doctor. When the neighbor heard I was not working outside the home anymore he quickly asked if I could work for him for his wife. I can’t tell you how much it fills the soul to help another person every day, even if I do get paid for it. It is so important to care for our entire body and the brain is definitely part of our body. The brain needs fed properly to work properly. Feed it protein, and good carbs and good fat. The brain needs good fat to function.

We are trying to figure out our gardens for next year. We have the space. That is not the problem. We have to have good compost brought in and our truck is down and out so we have to depend on others and sometimes that seems like all we do. We need to borrow a trailer often and gratefully friends provide, but it is a different story to borrow their truck. It is a big job that Jim needs to do to repair it and he is not sure how to do it. It is not very expensive, just time consuming and in 10 degree weather not very welcoming. But we will get by because we always do. He doesn’t want to start it and I don’t want to start the stairs and sand and paint them, but I think next week we will both be facing our fears and just jump in.

Nutritional Information

I find that buying store-bought chicken broth is almost like buying flavored water with a bouillon cube in it. I love to make my own broth. If I cut up my pastured chicken I can get several meals out of it. At the end, I have the caucus left and some wings and back and bones. I take them and make broth. If I am cutting up a lot of chicken at once, I take all the left overs and make broth. If I have turkey, I do the same thing. But many years ago, when I started my Master’s in Nutrition I got a recipe in one course called Magic Mineral Broth by Rebecca Katz. It has so many ingredients in it and is simply delicious. I can just drink a mug of it because it is so full of nutrients.

But there is one secret ingredient that I was introduced to at that time. I now use this ingredient in all the broth I make. It is called Kombu. It is a type of seaweed. It is brown or black and has an amazing natural flavor that takes the broth from just okay to AMAZING. It is loaded with minerals and has potassium and vitamins A and C. I have included a picture so you will know what you are looking for. You can find It in your Asian area in the grocery store or you can buy it through “Thrive”. You will not be sorry. Keep it in a cool dry place and it will last indefinitely.