"50 First Weeks;" Housekeeping, Body-Keeping and Milk Thistle

Thanks for all the kind comments about that carrot cake. I loved it and was proud of it, and have pieces for all of you if only I could figure out how to send them!

Last night, we watched 50 First Dates, courtesy of some wonderful friends.

It put some ideas into my head, although it wasn't my favorite movie ever. Quite a bit of the humor was stereotyping/demeaning, but it was sweet to see Hawaii, the story is heartwarming, there were some very funny moments...and the whole premise brings up a really interesting hypothesis--what would it be like to live life starting anew every day?

Of course, actions have consequences, but what if we get to start over each morning nonetheless, to create our love afresh every day? It's an exciting thought, and it gave me an idea. You know what? This is already the third week of January. That means there are 50 weeks left of this year! How about we make them "50 First Weeks?" Every week can be the first week of "something." I will aim to make my Monday post each week dedicated to this idea of renewal.

Housekeeping and Body-keeping Dilemmas
This is my "First week of better housekeeping." I've mentioned here before that I'm more clutter-tolerant than average, and fortunately (or not), live with an equally clutter-tolerant person (although we've both recognized that we're more tolerant of our own clutter than of each other's). I also shared that I was making some strides in organization and tidying, and even in making it part of a routine.

Well, I slipped. Things lapsed during my trip to Israel, and since I got back, I've just been too busy with course design to pick it back up. Classes start tomorrow(!) but I made the course live over the weekend, taking some of the climactic pressure off tomorrow. And today, I recorded, edited and produced one lecture and edited another, but also, I dusted! I swept! I let go a plant that had died and had been shedding in my workspace for a couple weeks.

My workout routines often involve interludes with the dustpan and brush after I come up from a pushup coated and can't stand it, but it felt really good to get some of the more persistent dust out, so we don't have to sneeze when we reach under the desk! And getting back to doing this helps me to do it more.

Now that you're thoroughly grossed out, I also confess that it's hard for me to keep up my body-keeping! Over the last few years, I've finally developed reasonably consistent hair-brushing habits. I used to think there was no point, as my hair is so tangly, it needs brushing again almost immediately. Now, I accept that it looks better if it's been brushed. But I still lose the habit, sometimes when I'm depressed, sometimes when I'm too busy, sometimes I know not why. Having no hot water or shower here can make it easy to end up unwashed, also.

And how often should a person change her clothes, and her bed linen? I don't know how I got to be close to  my mid-thirties without figuring out these mysteries.

One more "organizational" thing I've started this "first week" is to put two or three people to email on my "must do" list each day. As busy as I've been, despite keeping up with the blog, I've really slipped on some of my personal email, and my inbox is out of control with messages from people whom I care about, to which I haven't responded. It feels good to correct that.

One thing I do know about body-keeping is that those carrots I'm so obsessed with are also good for the liver, and that a well-supported liver is a smart idea for stressful times and dusty houses. I've been enjoying my carrot slaw for breakfast about every other day, especially delectable those days when I had nut milk around, and a recent super-charge addition has been milk thistle seeds! You can see a couple of the little guys just to the right of the spoon.

I've talked about milk thistle before at least once, and what a good liver support it is. The potent components are mostly alcohol-extracted, but I've also read that eating the seeds is one of the best ways to assimilate the silymarin compounds which are the good stuff. So, I've been soaking a few milk thistle seeds in the brew that the shredded carrot sits in overnight. I also put them in my chia puddings. They're very crunchy but not in an offensive way, and very mild tasting.

Are you up for "50 First Weeks?"

This Week's "Herbal Project:" Horseradish

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Did you see my post on miracles? We have a rainstorm here, people coming over this evening, and the last of the deciduous green is turning golden and being blown down.

I just wanted to share this week's "Herbal Project"--horseradish! Remember this monster plant? 

We dug up the roots when Phil went to Oregon, so that he could offer root cuttings to family and friends, so that everyone could have horseradish!

It seems like the soil was a little gravelly, so the roots branched and tendrilled a lot--there weren't many of those big, burly roots like you can get at the grocery store if you know where to look.
Still, when I chopped all this up, it made two cups of very fresh, very concentrated, very pungent horseradish pieces.

 I pulverized it in the Vitamix with a few other ingredients (I'll share below).

 When I removed the lid, it made my eyes water, it made me sneeze, it made me catch my breath! Serious instant sinus cleanse.

And it yielded almost a pint of very concentrated horseradish condiment.

 Raw Horseradish Condiment
2 cups chopped horseradish
1/2 cup vinegar (I used equal amounts rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Put everything except the olive oil in the Vitamix and blend on high until pureed. You'll probably have to stop a few times and mix everything around with a spatula.
Add the olive oil when it is getting toward smooth.

I really want to try this in mashed potatoes: I think it would be a great spin on them. Otherwise, I have to admit that I've generally thought of horseradish in terms of the non-plant-based foods I fix for Phil and others. It strikes me that there's an opportunity to make some seriously interesting veggie and raw fare with all this pungent goodness.

Speaking of the goodness of horseradish, it's not only good for sinuses, although that's obvious. It's also a potent diuretic, and it has antibacterial properties, so can help heal infections both in the respiratory and digestive tracts.

Update from last week: I poured off my milk thistle tincture today.

So, I have almost a pint of tincture that's strong but not overpowering. If anyone needs support for their liver, I'm now in business.

Do you have any great uses for horseradish to share?