Cod Liver Oil–eew.

I cannot escape it.  It is everywhere.  So far I’ve nearly puked three times.  In the last hour.  Why?  Because I had the great idea to give my kids cod liver oil this afternoon.

First off, this is a great idea–one YOU should do, too. I’ll get to that in a minute…it’s just more fun to be dramatic about how much I feel like puking right now.  And the real problem today is that I gave it to them in the afternoon.  This stuff takes time to wear off of their lips and breath!  When I give it at night, I didn’t realize this was the case.  Lesson learned.

Of course I had to be the model mother and take my teaspoon, too.  I nearly puked right then and there despite the fact that I drank water from a straw at the exact same time. I am extremely sensitive to scents, textures, etc. I have a well-honed culinary palette.  :o)   Plus, some oil dribbled to the outside of the bottle and it is all over my hands.  Two rounds of soap and it’s still there.  The best I could do was mask it with scented lotion.  Not sure if that was a good idea yet or not.  No one else had any problem with it at all except Samson.  He splattered it out of his mouth  .2 seconds after it entered.  Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I cannot get rid of the smell…it’s probably on my shirt (mom juice, that is).  (Ok, now that the shirt is gone we’ll see if I can manage any better. Ha!) And the funniest…er, worst thing is that I have some insane compulsion to keep smelling my hands to check if the smell is still there.  No doubt this added to the nausea.  I even stop typing this post from time to time to sniff my hands.  Seriously, I wish I could stop.  My main prayer at this point is that I do not begin burping.  OMG, the thought of that makes me almost puke.

I may have taken my last dose of this stuff for awhile but here’s the real deal:  This stuff is loaded with Vitamin D and has a proven ability to strengthen our immune systems and increase our overall health. For some time I have been in a suspended state of discontentment with protocol immunizations and medications for my family at every sign of sickness but not really knowing what to do about it or even where to start. And I’m not a health-food nut…….yet.  It is a process.  You know, like losing weight.  Some days I’m into the idea and other days I’d rather have McDonald’s french fries.  Maybe some day I’ll be skinny and maybe someday I’ll be a health-food nut.  We’ll see.

Meanwhile, I’m convinced that there are some simple things I can do as the nurturer of the family to boost our immune systems and increase my family’s overall health.  This particular post was so inspiring to me that I loaded the kids up and trekked 20 minutes to Whole Foods!  It was just what I needed.  A short-ish list with simple things I can do starting right now.  From there I spent about 90 minutes hopping from link to link to link.  And speaking of links…here is another reference for what to do for sickness in your house completely void of medication.  I subscribe to these blogs (along with a “few” others :o) and get a lot of mileage out of what they share as I begin leaning in a new direction concerning health and healthcare for our family.

By the way, cod liver oil also comes in capsules.  It’s on my shopping list–as of today.  –Jen

UPDATE: 30 minutes has passed since I wrote this.  I just went to the mailbox only to discover that a book has arrived (that I won at  Keeper of the Home).  It is called:  Healthy Homemaking:   One Step at a Time. A 52 week jouney of baby steps to help you move towards more natural, nutritious and sustainable living. Are you kidding me, right now?  Seriously.

Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Today was one of those days where lunch time is supposed to be in 5 minutes, the kids have been clamoring for it for the last 15, and my kitchen has no available counter or sink space to speak of.  As background I’ll tell you the reason I let this happen is because I was so engrossed in planning  my 30-meal-cooking-weekend that I have planned for this weekend that I hardly paid attention to my kids!  Ug–a tale for another day. (Btw, stay tuned for posts relating to my upcoming cooking adventure! :o)

All this because you may be wondering why I made Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas for lunch instead of a can of soup!  Well……I was just getting so inspired by the other bloggers out there who had posted great recipes and ideas from their own BIG cooking days.  I wanted to know if this lunchtime favorite would freeze well, thus landing on the upcoming menu.  Phew, now that that is out of the way….

Here’s something you can do with all those black beans you made!  And, these quesadillas do freeze well so make tons of filling, load some tortillas and you’ll have lunch (or dinner) on hand for future days like…well, like the one I just had!

This is a great time to mention that I CREATE while I cook.  I do, however, keep track of what I did in case it turns out great!  I think there is such joy in cooking this way Therefore, I’m going to present my recipes and cooking methods to you in this format.  If you’re a “direction’s follower” or just don’t like creating food (but still like to eat), check back soon because I’ll post an actual recipe page where you can print off a standard looking format that corresponds to each “teaching session”.

First off, chop up an onion while a blob of oil heats in the pan. (I have a posting in the works on how to chop onions very efficiently–stay tuned.) Saute until the onions reach the level of crunchiness you like because this is all the cooking they get.

It is important to generously salt them when they go in the pan because this draws out the moisture which has sugar in it=caramelizing=FLAVOR.

Then add in 1 or 2 cups/1 can of black beans, depending on what you have on hand.  Next, frozen corn.  As much as your little heart desires.

Now for seasoning.  I am a Penzey’s Spices freak!  It is all I use.  Even the generic bottles are filled with Penzey’s bulk spices.  That said, go to Penzey’s or order online immediately! :0) Grocery store spices will NOT taste as good.  You might make this and say, “Hmph, this wasn’t as great as she said.”  That=spice’s fault, not mine :o)  All in fun, right? Spice to taste.  I used about 1 T each of cumin and chili powder.  This all depends on how much onion, beans, and corn you used, though.  Also, freshly ground black pepper is standard for me so that went in, too. If you’re not sure, taste it. Oh, and salt if necessary. Since this lunch was for my kids, I didn’t add cayenne pepper or extra chili powder but both would have been great.

Side note: What is the role of salt in a dish?  To bring out the flavors of the ingredients.  If it ever tastes salty, you’ve added too much.  Salt as you go along  to build the flavors. At the end, here’s what I do to see if I’m good: a bit of salt…take a bite, a bit of salt…take a bite.  You’ll see what I mean.  The flavor will just get better and better.

I added about 3/4 cup of water to the hot pan right after the spices (sort of like you would with taco meat spice packets).  This helped everything blend together and coat the ingredients.  Once the moisture evaporates, you’re all done with the filling.

Use the same pan here.  Run some warm water on to clean it, wipe with a paper towel and you’re up and running again.  Spray one side of 2 tortillas with non-stick cooking spray and place them in the pan like this.  Remember cheese is the glue so the order is CHEESE–FILLING–CHEESE. Use as much filling and cheese as you prefer. Then close it up and toast on both sides. Cool and cut on the same cutting board and knife you used earlier.

Mmmmm.

If you freeze, I suggest freezing the triangles individually (like IQF chicken nuggets, Individually Quick Frozen) then toss them in a large freezer bag.  Take out as many triangles as you need at a time and bake them at 400 until hot for a crispy crust OR microwave them if you’re in a hurry but willing to settle for soft crust.

Thanks for reading.  What’s your idea?  Try this recipe and leave a comment on what you did!

–Jen