Herbal Household Remedies

Via: The News-Press

Salsa plus avocado equals lower cancer risk

While salsa alone is super healthy, this pairing helps you soak up four times more cancer-fighting lycopene and almost three times more immune-boosting beta-carotene, finds an Ohio State University study. You can thank the fat in avocado for the lift.

Equally good: Use cubed avocado and salsa as an omelet filling for breakfast.

Iron-fortified cereal plus glass of orange juice equals more energy

Eating iron-fortified cereal can help enhance your energy, but consuming a half cup of orange juice along with it increases the amount of iron absorbed sixfold, says Joan Salge Blake, R.D., an assistant clinical professor of nutrition at Boston University.

Equally good: Mix one-half cup fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon grated ginger and 2 minced garlic cloves; add iron-packed tofu and marinate for 30 minutes. Grill over medium heat.

Teaspoon of peanut butter plus glass of milk equals stronger bones

“Drinking milk while snacking on a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat like peanut butter helps you absorb as much bone-building vitamin D as possible,” says Susan Kraus, R.D., a clinical dietitian at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey.

Equally good: Mix 8 ounces skim milk, 1 teaspoon peanut butter, 1 cup fresh fruit and one-half cup ice in a blender for a bone-strengthening smoothie.

Cantaloupe wedge plus yogurt equals immunity boost

The vitamin A in cantaloupe helps ward off viruses, but “enjoying it with foods that are high in zinc, like yogurt, ensures that your body can utilize almost 100 percent of the nutrient,” says Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., author of The Most Effective Natural Cures.

Equally good: Mix 8 ounces nonfat plain yogurt, one-fourth cup unsweetened applesauce, one-half teaspoon cinnamon and one-quarter cup honey. Dip cantaloupe pieces in it for a snack.

Spinach, carrots, tomato, tablespoon olive oil plus marjoram equals healthy skin

Veggies need one tablespoon of full-fat dressing with olive oil in order for the body to absorb many of the antioxidants that are good for your immune system, skin and heart, says Bowden. To up the antioxidant capacity by 200 percent more, top with the herb marjoram.

Equally good: If you’re not into fatty dressings, put pine nuts, walnuts, avocado or a bit of blue cheese in your salad instead. They all offer the same benefits.

Mug of green tea + lemon equals heart help

Squeezing a lemon into green tea makes five times more catechin, a heart-healthy antioxidant, available for your body to use than if you sipped sans citrus, notes a Purdue University study. (Vitamin C slows the breakdown of catechins in the digestive system.)

Equally good: Add a 6-ounce can of lemon-juice concentrate to 12 ounces green tea, chill, and top with 12 ounces club soda, a lemon wedge and a few mint leaves.

Ingredients:

• 7 oz (about 3/4 cup) Fettucini
• 6 tbsp chopped shallot bulbs, raw
• 8 slices of dried tomato
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 4 tbsp white wine
• 10 olives
• basil, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and parsley to taste
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta al dente. Drain, add 1 tbsp butter and Parmesan cheese, mix well.

Sautee shallots in the other tbsp butter and the oil, add dried tomato slices, olives and white wine. Reduce heat slightly, then add herbs to taste. Toss with pasta.

Both peppers and tomato are helpful in fighting fatigue. The following recipe - Peppers stuffed with savory Spanish rice, topped with a mild tomato sauce - includes both vegetables.

Stuffed Peppers (serves 6)

Ingredients:

• 6 green peppers, medium size
• 3 cups savory Spanish rice (see below)
• 1 cup tomato sauce (see below)

Wash peppers, core them. Chop the pepper seeds finely and mix them with the savory rice (unless you are saving the seeds for next year’s crop). Steam peppers for 20 minutes, then fill them with savory rice, half a cup per pepper. Place in a casserole, top with tomato sauce, and bake for 45 minutes, or until tender, at 350F.

Savory Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 lb. lean ground round
• 1/2 cup raw brown rice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups of tomato, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Sautee onion and pepper, brown the beef and drain. Mix sauteed vegetables and beef, then add all other ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, stir, reduce heat, then let simmer for 40-60 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir often as it will stick otherwise, and remove the bay leaf before filling the rice into the peppers.

Mild Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned or self made tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp onion, finely diced
• 3/4 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic clove, finely diced

Mix all ingredients and bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Top stuffed peppers with the sauce before baking.