Chickpea and Artichoke One-Pot Wonder

Bliss in a Dish

serves 4-5

Dreena Burton’s Bliss in a Dish (Chickpea and Artichoke One-Pot Wonder) is a hearty and satisfying plant-based casserole. The recipe is a combination of all of our favorite wholesome ingredients, including chickpeas, artichokes, potatoes, tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, and olives, that are then tossed with a variety of herbs and baked to perfection. Bring your loved ones to the table with a dish that will fuel them with nutrients and show them how much you care.

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 cups artichoke hearts, quartered
2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place potato cubes in a large pot of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower temperature to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain. (You can also steam potatoes)
Transfer potatoes and other ingredients (except vinegar) into a large bowl and toss to combine.
Place mixture in a large casserole dish and cover with foil. Cook 20 minutes then stir.
Replace foil and cook an additional 20 minutes until potatoes are fully tender and other vegetables are soft.
Add vinegar, stir, then bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Our Unique Heritage

America’s Heritage

America is a unique nation with a unique heritage– founded on the recognition that all people have inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But what does inalienable mean?

It means that the government doesn’t give us those rights; we have them by right of birth. Our founders understood that our rights are derived from our Creator; they are our natural rights.

The American government was founded to protect our inalienable rights.

Government, kings, potentates, parliaments, committees, politicians, dictators, etc. can take our natural rights away. History is replete with such abuses. The American government was founded to protect our inalienable rights. Government, laws and courts are created to protect those rights. Once our unique constitutional system was put into place, the definition of that principle, and its limits, needed to be understood by all.

For example, in his famous 1790 letter to the Jewish congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, President George Washington went out of his way to set up a critical distinction between a false type of tolerance – by which “one class of people” might condescendingly extend certain privileges to another, inferior class – and the American system, in which all enjoy “their inherent natural rights” equally, provided only that they “demean themselves as good citizens.”

How Does Our Heritage Relate to Healthcare?

The more we give politicians, bureaucrats and “professionals” permission to control and manage our lives, the less free, the more dependent and the less capable we become.

As the Elders of the Oraibi Arizona Hopi Nation remind us:

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

The world-renowned sociologist Ivan Illich, Ph.D. applied this understanding to health in his famous book Medical Nemesis:

A world of optimal and widespread health is obviously a world of minimal and only occasional medical intervention. Healthy people are those who live in healthy homes on a healthy diet in an environment equally fit for birth, growth, work, healing, and dying; they are sustained by a culture that enhances the conscious acceptance of limits to population, of ageing, of incomplete recovery and ever-imminent death. Healthy people need minimal bureaucratic interference to mate, give birth, share the human condition, and die. (1)

1. Illich I. Medical Nemesis: the Expropriation of Health. New York: Bantam Books, 1977.

Latest News from Charmaine: January 2018

This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. – Winston Churchill

Greetings all,

The message from Winston Churchill could not be more appropriate as we move into a new year beset with uncertainty.

It is imperative that we understand that health care should be an undisputed right (I am not talking about disease care which is what insurance companies are peddling).

We have the right to make decisions about what we do with our bodies…and then naturally we have to deal with the consequences of our choices.

This is a time when everybody is wanting to make changes …so don’t make a resolution (which fails almost 100% of the time). Instead let’s set an intention to do things a little differently. Let’s commit to more fresh fruit and veggies, more water, more exercise and then work out how to make those happen

In our house, Sunday is usually meal prep day…by that I mean, having planned the menu for the week (taking everybody’s crazy schedules into account), I cook extra of anything I might need later on in the week/chop it up and store it. If I can, I make a couple of dishes…Sunday’s dinner and one that I can throw in the oven later in the week. Also, a big thing I am seeing on the internet is bagging everything for a crockpot meal in a container, freezing it and putting in before leaving for work….after all, if you are cutting one onion, why not two or three?

I have my workout schedule planned before the week starts and I feel it is so important to keep active, that short of a blizzard, nothing is allowed to get in the way…..How can you incorporate more exercise into your life??

SEE YOU IN THE OFFICE, ON THE TABLE, ON THE MAT, UNDER THE BARBELLS!

Researching Chiropractic: Heart rate variability

What is heart rate variability?

The timing between heart beats should vary beat-to-beat. That is called heart rate variability (HRV). The more HRV, the greater a person’s health. Low HRV has been linked to physical and emotional dis-ease or body malfunction.

Heart rate variability has been used to evaluate the nervous system

Analysis of the beat-to-beat intervals (heart rate variability) has been used to evaluate the nervous system balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Analysis of beat-to- beat variability is a simple, non-invasive technique to evaluate autonomic dysfunction and may be a tool to assess the changes in autonomic activity associated with the reduction and correction of vertebral subluxations. A search of the relevant literature found that some controlled studies suggest that very thing: chiropractic care may improve heart rate variability in a positive way – meaning that nervous system function improves.

The author writes, “Vertebral subluxations may result in altered autonomic nervous system activity. Heart rate variability is a reliable and valid tool that may be used to assess the changes in autonomic activity associated with the reduction and correction of vertebral subluxations.” (1)

Kent C. Heart rate variability to assess the changes in autonomic nervous system function associated with vertebral subluxation. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. October 16, 2017:201-208.

Researching Chiropractic: Placental insufficiency

Placental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction

There seems to be no limit to the health problems that respond to chiropractic care. How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care?

Probably most of them.

A 29-year-old female, who was 32 weeks pregnant, presented for chiropractic care because she was concerned about a diagnosis of placental insufficiency and delayed fetal growth that was given after an ultrasound examination. There is no medical treatment for this condition.

However, chiropractic analysis revealed subluxations in her cervical spine (neck), sacrum and pelvis. She had eight visits over a three-week period to correct her subluxations. On the day after her first visit she had another ultrasound that revealed normal placental blood flow and normal fetal growth rate. She was able to carry the baby to 37 weeks permitting the fetus 3 to 4 more weeks of growth. (1)

Rashid M, Heyns SB, Findlay M et al. Reduction in placental insufficiency and normalized fetal growth rate in a pregnant patient following chiropractic care for vertebral subluxation: a case report. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic. 2017;4:178-184.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

For the Brussels Sprouts haters!!!

1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer leaves removed and halved
1 medium sweet onion, slices
1 large apple, peeled, cored and cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the Brussels sprouts, onions and apples together in a bowl.
Mix the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper together then drizzle over Brussels sprouts mixture. Stir until everything is coated (add another tablespoon of maple syrup if you so desire) and place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring a few times while baking, until apples are tender, onions soft and Brussels sprouts begin to caramelize. ENJOY!

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR DINNER SIDES?

Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes -6 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced or finely diced
6 med Yukon potatoes, scrubbed & dried
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil.

In a small saucepot, bring the butter, oil and garlic to a boil over high heat; remove from the heat.

Using 2 wooden spoons placed on each side of a potato as a guide, cut the potato into thin slices about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, without cutting through the bottom (the spoons will keep you from cutting all the way through the potato). Repeat with the remaining potatoes. Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet and brush each potato with some of the butter mixture, trying to get the butter between the slices. Sprinkle each potato with salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the potatoes from the oven. The potatoes will have started to spread out from cooking and it will be easier to brush each slice with some more of the butter mixture. Put the potatoes back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the oven again and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top and into the slices. Return to the oven to melt and brown the cheese, an additional 5 minutes. Serve the potatoes immediately.

Researching Chiropractic: Hypothyroidism

There seems to be no limit to the health problems that respond to chiropractic care. How many people suffering, on drugs, facing a life of limitation could be helped by chiropractic care?

Probably most of them.

Hypothyroidism and irritable bowel, lower back

A 34-year-old woman visited a chiropractic office complaining of low back, hip and upper back pain. She also reported that she was medically diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and secondary hypothyroidism.

Chiropractic analysis revealed subluxations that were causing nervous system imbalance (dysautonomia). Chiropractic adjustments corrected her subluxations. After two months of care, the patient’s thyroid function test showed improvement and she was able to stop her medication. Additionally, she reported improvement in her irritable bowel syndrome, low back, hip and upper back pain. (1)

Campbell AM, Delander K. Resolution of hypothyroidism & irritable bowel syndrome in a 34-year-old female following chiropractic care to reduce vertebral subluxation: a case study & review of the literature. Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research. October 26, 2017:209-220.

Traditional Eating – What We Stopped Doing

Do you know what traditional eating is?

Our ancestors did it for hundreds and thousands of generations. It’s prized in all cultures. What is traditional eating?

Eating fats.

Here’s an example of traditional eating:

When Eskimos (Inuit) catch game such as seal, caribou, bear, etc. they prize the liver and internal organs and give the lean muscle meat to their dogs.

This diet is found all over the world. Even today many cultures still prize the health qualities of organ meats:

chopped liver
sweetbreads (thymus or pancreas)
Scottish haggis (heart, liver, lung pudding)
sausage from many cultures
British bangers
Irish shepherds’ pie

There are many similar dishes all over the world.

It seems to be the opposite with modern society. And yet lean meats were always considered less important and less nutritious than the fatty organ meats. It’s true, organ meats have far more nutrients. Serve some this holiday season!

CDC Admits There is No Science Behind the Flu Vaccine

Skip the Flu Vaccine This Year

How do you feel about the flu vaccine?

Through all of her years of medical training Cammy Benton, MD said the only thing she was taught with regard to vaccines were that they were “safe and effective” and to discard the vaccine inserts, as they were all “lawyer jargon.”

But she began to ask questions about the science behind the flu shot, and even asked a senior CDC official about it at an event. She found no credible studies backing up the science behind the flu shot.

When she called the CDC about it, the CDC admitted there was no science confirming the effectiveness of the flu vaccine, it was simply “all we have” to combat the flu season.

Dr. Benton then asked why hospitals were not requiring ALL medical personnel to wear face masks during the flu season, since the CDC was admitting the flu vaccine was not effective.

The person at the CDC hung up and the next Monday Dr. Benton was presented with a four-month severance pay. She states that this was the best “vacation” she could have received at that time, because she spent every day studying about vaccines.

Watch the video interview and read the rest here!

Did this article change your mind? We want to hear your opinions on the subject!

Lanjopoulos Chiropractic

Chiropractics, Yoga, Tai Chi, Healthy Living