Don't Mess With Mother Nature

Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: martakat83An article in the New York Times newspaper featured an old folk remedy used in Eastern Europe for generations that helped to control bedbug infestations.  It seems that the bedbug gets stuck on the kidney bean leaf and can't escape.  The bean leaves are spread around on the bedroom floor at night and in the morning, when there are upteen trapped bedbugs, the leaves are collected and burned to rid the household of bedbugs.  Wow, talk about simplicity!  Mother Nature is truly amazing.  And to think, this was accomplished without the use of pesticides, DDT, or other toxic chemicals.

Capitalism being what it is, scientists have been trying to replicate the mechanism whereby the bean leaves trap the bedbugs, but have woefully failed so far.  It seems that Mother Nature has the perfect system here and the scientists have been unable to successfully replicate the mechanism to trap the bugs in the same way that the bean leaf succeeds in doing so.  I guess this just goes to show once again, you just can't mess with Mother Nature and get better or even the same, results.

Unless it's Roscoe!!  Photo courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons: Martha Garvey

As I was thinking about this whole scenario, it made me think about another similar situation.  This situation has taken years for us to realize that Mother Nature can rarely, if ever,  be improved upon.  Advertising and psychological marketing still make us think that Mother Nature is just inadequate with this situation.  What I am referring to in this instance, is the marketing of commercial infant formula vs breast feeding to feed infants.  Mother's milk is best for a human infant.  Mother Nature knows best.  Human breast milk can't be improved upon.  Yes, I realize that there are instances where mothers are unable to breast feed and infant formula serves a purpose under those situations.  However, there is still a pervasive attitude promulgated by advertising, advice by some medical professionals (sadly, but true), and media psychology that women should skip the breast feeding and take the 'better' route for all.........infant formula.  The only sense this makes is an economic one for the formula companies (and this is not 'sense' but rather 'cents'.) 

Educating Moms about breast feeding and supporting those who have chosen to feed their child this way is the best policy for human babies to obtain optimal nutrition.  Let's support Mother Nature and look for more ways to keep things natural......and safe!

What are your thoughts about this?  Please post your comments below and let me know.

Friday Foodies

Today begins another new regular feature, "Friday Foodies".  My vision for this feature on Fridays is to post about a nutrient, cooking tip, recipe, or something food related.  I will let my imagination run amuck with those guidelines and see what comes out! Enjoy!

*******************************************************************************************CHEESY QUINOA BITES

I originally found this recipe here on a blog, "So Very Blessed" and I thought this was a great recipe. The picture above is my first attempt at the recipe.  I have been eating gluten-free since September 2012 and I am constantly looking for new recipes with quinoa, so this really fit the bill.  These are great for breakfast, snacks or as a side dish with dinner.  Pair it with a salad at lunch.  There are so many ways to play around with mix-ins, too, using different veggies.  Even though I made mine in muffin cups, you could easily just put the whole recipe in a casserole dish and cut them into squares.

CHEESY QUINOA BITES

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 2 stalks green onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro (can substitute chopped parsley instead)
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese ( or cheddar cheese)
• 2 TBS all purpose flour (I used all purpose gluten free flour)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• OPTIONAL: Minced jalapeno pepper
• I also added about a cup of chopped kale to mine

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the quinoa, carrot, egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, cheese, flour, salt & pepper as well as any of the other optional veggies
3. Distribute mixture into a greased muffin tin, filling each cup to the top OR bake in a greased casserole dish.  (The original recipe called for mini-muffin tins but the mini muffin tin I have is teeny, so I wouldn't even be able to smell them, let alone taste them in that!)
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until set and slightly browned.  Bake longer if using a casserole dish.
5. ENJOY!  You can use a honey mustard dip or enjoy them plain.  These can be frozen and reheated, too!

I would love your comments on this recipe.  If there is something that you would like to read about on Friday Foodies, please make a suggestion.  I am open for that! 

Have a great weekend.

Q: How Do You Eat An Elephant?

A: One bite at a time.  (Just kidding.....I would never eat an elephant or advocate eating one!)

Q: How do you create a change in your life that involves creating a new habit?  Say....for example that you want to improve your diet and eat more organic produce so you are avoiding pesticides.

A: One small step at a time, sustained over time.  In other words, take it one day at a time. (Not kidding this time!)

Watch this short Ted talk:

Take away point:  Small changes are more sustainable.

So if you would like to make sure that your world and your child's world are the healthiest and chemical/toxin-free that is possible, take it one step at a time to create small changes and achieve your goals.  Start with one room in the home at a time,  methodically look for the things that can be changed, make the changes and then move on to another room or area of the home and repeat the process.  This is the best road to success.  Trying to make too many changes at once is a recipe for overwhelm and shut down--then nothing gets done. 

What changes have you made that have stood the test of time?  What's the next ONE thing on your list that you would like to change or habit you would like to begin to create over the next 30 days?  Leave a comment below and let me know.