Mama’s Home Remedies

There is always a need for new, tempting salad recipes, especially during holidays when you want to surprise your family and guests with healthy, delicious meals. Fresh summer salad is a most versatile dish.

• It can be a centerpiece of the most sophisticated holiday lunch or dinner
• It can be served as a first course
• It can accompany a principal dish
• It can be a main course
• It can make a colorful point to any meal

Here are my family recipes of fresh, appetizing summer salads with health-giving qualities. Each is nutritious,  quick and easy to prepare. These original dishes with Eastern European flair can suit the busy women, Moms, cooks who like to save time, and with a little effort create natural meals for all tastes and occasions.

Summer Rainbow Salad

1 red onion, chopped; Capcicums: 1 large red bell pepper, chopped; 1 large orange bell pepper, chopped; 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped; 2-3 medium size tomatoes, chopped; 2-3 cucumbers, skinned and cut thin,; 1 tablespoon Italian parsley; 1 tablespoon dill; 2 tablespoons cold pressed olive oil, 1 lemon, squeezed, sea salt.

Put all prepared vegetables and herbs in a big glass bowl. Your salad looks colorful and joyful. Serve: 4-6 people. Preparation time: 15 minutes. 

 Add a pinch of sea salt and pour your homemade olive-lemon dressing on a top.  You can use this natural dressing for almost all salads you make.   

Brassica Salad

Cabbage is the main ingredient in this salad. In our family we gave it a fancy name, Brassica because it comes from the Latin name Brassica oleracea for cabbage.  This nutritious vegetable was cultivated in the West since at least 400 B.C. Since Dioscorides’ time cabbage was used in salads, as a digestive remedy, a joint tonic, and for fevers and skin problems. Over-indulgent Romans used to eat raw cabbage to prevent drunkenness.

1 lb (500 g) cabbage, chopped; 1 lb (500 g) carrots, peeled; 1 big green Granny Smith apple, chopped; a bunch of fresh green onions, cut small, Italian parsley and dill, sea salt.

Coarsely grate carrots into a bowl, add cabbage, green apple, green onions, parsley and dill. Pour olive-lemon dressing over vegetable and  mix well. Your tasteful, natural medicinal salad is ready to serve 4-6 people. Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Have a healthy, happy, safe and joyful Independence Day Weekend!

CHEERS!

Source: Photos of Summer Rainbow Salad and Brassica Salad, and recipes by Svetlana Konnikova. Copyright 2009.

Can you imagine American cuisine without a big and juicy hamburger looking so appetizing? Well, we permit ourselves to indulge in this delight quite often, but no-no, we don’t want to look big, puffy and juicy with these ‘happy meals’ and have a problem to fit in the biggest size of jeans.

 At first, make yourself a good cup of hot herbal tea and watch this video. What possibly can be in common between a burger and Mona Lisa also known as La Gioconda, a masterpiece– the 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar tree panel by Leonardo Da Vinci during Italian Renaissance? You will be amazed how a rough draft with Mona Lisa image (as an example) can be created today without any artistic brush and oil, but with help of an American favorite meal, high calorie burger. Click on the link below and enjoy this video!

                                                                                      mona_lisa_-_arbys 

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                          Many people suffer from migranes but don’t take them seriously enough. One or two pills of Advil or Excedrine, or many other pharmaceutical innovations can do the job of taking your pain away. What headache sufferers don’t realize is that these pills will only suppress migraine, but will not treat it. Studies suggest, migraines can be linked to heart attack and stroke.

Facts: Estimates indicate that there are more than 45 million headache sufferers in the United States. Only 11 percent of them consult a neurologist for evaluation or treatment. Two-thirds of headache sufferers remain undiagnosed. Headaches account for eight million visits each year. Most headache sufferers experience two or more concurrent headache types.

Middle-aged women are affected the most and have many reasons to worry  about more serious diseases than bad headaches. According to Health.com report, new research suggested that women who experience migranes accompanied by auras which are sensory disturbances signaling oncoming pain, also have increased risk of heart attacks or stroke. Scientists think that these women may also experience tissue death in the brain. It is very scarry.

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What a big smile!  So much of a kindness in this impressive face!

“There is always be morning where life gives us another opportunity to make things good,” said once a legendary Latin American writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I love this brilliant writer and read almost everything he wrote. He passed on this message to the millions of his readers in his timeless books, such as One Hundred Years of Solitude; Love in the Time of Cholera and other. 

Now prepare yourself to take a tour in the City of Lights, unforgettable Paris. Click on the link below, listen to a romantic French song and read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ wise and loving message to all of us.

Motivational mottoes from a true guardian of human soul and one of the greatest writers of our time…

Click on the link below and enjoy a moment of wisdom, love and inspiration.

                                                                     gabrielgarciamarquez

 If you read Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels, love his writing and philosophy of life, and like this presentation, please submit us your comments. We would love to read them.

Copyright 2009.

by Svetlana Konnikova

 Blue sky, green leaves and smiling sunflower…  When you see this natural beauty, it makes you feel so good and happy, isn’t it?  Today I am not talking about going green. Everybody talks about it today.  What about giving green? Did you ever thought about it?

Giving green has never been easier. Think organic, natural, nutritional products that are produced for us by creative entreprises and ready for us to order them. At first spoil yourself and try some of them. Then go on giving green on the 4th of July.  Surprise your family members and friends with nice natural gifts and show them how much you love and care about them, and appreciate them for who they are.

As Hans Chistian Andersen said once, “To live we need sun, freedom and a small flower.” I can add to his expression that we all really need love, a peaceful sky above our head, and a small sign of attention. Don’t be shy, show your thoughtfullness, attention and affection to dearest people in your life! You’ll feel great about it, and you don’t have to spend lots of money to do that.

I researched numerous products on the Web and made a List of Giving Green Natural Gifts for the 4th of July. These unexpensive and surprising gifts, a bounty of wonderful organic goodies is sure to please everyone’s palate, and can be useful and enjoyable all year around.

Quality organic chocolates that will blow away any of recipients of your gifts. Do you love fudge?

Earth’s Sweet Pleasures makes the highest quality organic gourmet fudge while supporting sustainability of the planet and its inhabitants. The delicious dark chocolate is grown by fair trade farmers in Central and South America.

1. You can choose Rich Rainforest Dark Fudge with walnuts (my favorite!), 8 oz Price: $13.95 or

 2. Rich Rainforest Dark Fudge (no nuts), 8 oz Price: $13.95

 3. Seth Ellis Chocolatier, a Boulder, Colorado artisan Chocolate company, makes the highest integrity chocolate using only organic and natural ingredients. Each hand- decorated chocolate is a miniature piece of art. A delicate creation of fairly traded Ecuadorian chocolate, like these Chocolate Mint Truffles.

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by Svetlana Konnikova

What a pity! If you gain weight, you loose a good job, no matter what connections you have, as it happened with Kirstie Alley, but about it we’ll talk later. 

Lots of men don’t see anything wrong with a woman which is not so skinny that you can see through her. They secretly and not secretly love full size women’s bodies or at least “a little bit of meat on their bones,” as said one of my friends.  Did you hear what one of them said on David Letterman’s Late Show? He honestly  could not understand women who were shocked by Kirstie’s courageous appearance in a bikini in front of a huge audience. So what? No one can prohibit her to love herself. Good for her.

Look how great artists adored “not so skinny” women’s bodies. Rembrandt, as an example,  a great Dutch artist of the 17th century left us a rich treasure of oil paintings picturing  such women as Artemisia, Susanna, Saskia, Bathsheba, Bellona, Flora and the most beautiful Danae. Judge for yourself this oil painting.

Danae is the character from Greek mythology, the mother of Perseus. Yes, she is a full size woman, and was not ashamed to show her body to the whole world. The artist’s model was his wife, Saskia. This Rembrandt’s painting comes from collection of Pierre Crozat. From the 18th century Danae found its home in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Rembrandt created his luscious Danae in 1636, a timeless masterpiece admired by the world today…

We changed our taste in the 21st century. We have developed opposite criteria for a woman’s image. The slimmer is better. Is it always the truth? Doesn’s it annoy you this constant media talk about who gained weight, who shed pounds and who is so very skinny that you can count all bones in her body? Like we don’t have more interesting things to talk about that will motivate and inspire us?!  So, what is a talk of the town instead?

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by Svetlana Konnikova                                                                       

In our previous post Kami McBride wrote about rosemary as one of the aromatic herbs and uplifting herbs that can be planted in your home garden along pathways and in walkways into the house so you can grab a bunch, bring in your house and use it in aromatherapy. This aromatic herb, as you may know, can be used in preparing delicious meals, too. Famous European chefs use rosemary in many dishes. Some of them shared with me recipes for meals I liked the most. So, I am going to make two mouthwatering desserts for teatime and fresh olive bread on Father’s Day to surprise my husband, my family and friends with these easy to make French recipes using aromatic herbs. 

I got these recipes from several chefs in Provence while traveling in France this month. 

                                       Oh, Provence, I can understand why Van Gogh admired it so much this beautiful part of France. Here is his painting Country Road in Provence by Night.

Now let’s see what masters of culinary art make in Provence.

 Croustillants With Honey And Rosemary

Prepare:

• 1 sheet of flaky pastry
• 1 oz acacia honey or any other organic
• 2 stems fresh rosemary
• 1/2 oz organic, unbleached flout for work surface
• 1 oz icing sugar

Remove stem from rosemary and chop the leaves. Roll out sheet of flaky pastry on wood working board sprinkled with flour. Spread it with honey and chopped rosemary. Roll the pastry tightly and let it get firm for 5 minutes in the freezer.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the pastry into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 5-6 minutes. Then sprinkle with icing sugar and serve this delicious dessert to 6 people on your holiday teatime with 

a cup of steaming Earl Grey tea adorned with a piece of lemon or with a cup of mint tea with a fresh mint leaf on a side.

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by Kami McBride

My herb gardens are full of herbs that help to bring a sense of peace and calm to my daily life. Lavender, rose geranium and lemon balm are herbs that have been used for centuries to calm the mind and lift the spirit. These are simple garden herbs that don’t have a lot of clinical trials, scientific evidence and media hype to back them up. They are herbs that are easy to grow and just make you feel better when you have them around.

I plant aromatic and uplifting herbs along pathways in my garden and walkways into my house so I can grab a piece and shift it daily as I come and go. Other herbs I plant close to where I walk are peppermint, spearmint, rosemary and mugwort. Aromatherapy isn’t only using essential oils in little bottles. Enjoying the smell of plants on a daily basis is very therapeutic.    

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Art is not only an enjoyment of beauty, but a great source of relaxation and joyful learning of what other talented people created for us.  Leave behind your intense working week. Rejuvenate and entertain yourself. You have two sunny days, Saturday and Sunday! Find a comfortable armchair in your house, brew a cup of fresh rose hips tea, and enjoy watching this gallery of colorful paintings from Italy! From the comfort of your home start this absolutely amazing tour to the country that is the world famous with great culture and traditions, art, architecture, green-blue mountains, thousands of vineyards and tasteful wines, blossoming flowers, apple and cherry trees, tall and slender cypresses everywhere; healthy and delicious foods, and friendly, talented people.

Pay attention to the green color used in these paintings created by a great artist of our time, McKenzie. Green can improve your vision and has a healing effect on the human nervous system. It also acts as a sedative. Green color is an especially effective healer for people with irritated, blurry eyes, affected by an allergic reaction. This color of nature is good for people who are kept waiting for a job interview or in doctor’s office and need to relax or free himself (herself) from anger and impatience. Click on the link below and enjoy!

                                                          paintingsfromitaly

“Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.”–St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430), North Africa

“I dream my painting, and then I paint my dream.”–Vincent van Gogh

“Observe the marvels as they happen around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the beauty moving through and be silent.”–Jalil al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), Persia

“A person’s life is dyed with the color of his imagination.” –Marcus Aurelius

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”–Albert Einstein

Source: Presentation/Paintings From Italy by McKenze and www.mckenzieartstudio.com; www.mckenzieartist.worldpress.com (blog)

Photo: Rose Hips by Petr Kratochvil

Text copyright 2009.

As it said, our main wealth is health and well being. Very often we forget about it in our busy and speedy lives. This List is all about natural lifestyle, positive thinking and wise acting. Just a reminder to help you to maintain Healthy and Happy You.

HEALTH:

1. Drink plenty of water and herbal teas. Wash out your toxins!

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. It’s all about common sense and moderation!

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E’s –Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. Make your life easier!

5. Make time for prayer.  Bring yourself in balance!                                                                                     

6. Play more intellectual games. Give your brain good exercises!

7. Read more books than you did in 2008. Enrich yourself with wisdom of smart and talented people!

8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Calm down, enjoy Nature and forget about life pressure!

9. Sleep for 7-8 hours. Give your body and brain the rest it deserves to function properly!

10.Take a 30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile. Release your negative energy!

 PERSONALITY:

11. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Make your life the best you can!

12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13. Don’t over do. Keep your head cool and know your limits.

14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip. It doesn’t make you feel better.

16. Dream more while you are awake, and make it come true.

17. Envy is a waste of time. Don’t put yourself down with this feeling. You already have all you need.  

18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others. However, sometimes hatred can turn into love.

20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more. Laugh is a great, natural and healing remedy!

24. You don’t have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree or prove your point wisely.

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