Four Ingredient Pumpkin Pie

As a much requested follow up to my last blog, here is the recipe for the Four Ingredient Pumpkin Pie! Note:  this is not my recipe!! I got this from some great chiropractors in Florida who got it off the internet. It's way too good not to keep sharing though! 

Have a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving!

Four Ingredient Pumpkin Pie
vegan, makes one pie

1 1/4 cups raw soaked cashews
1 cup maple syrup
1 can organic pumpkin puree (16 ounces) (or use fresh puree)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

optional: 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste (depends how much salt you soaked your cashews in)

ingredients notes: using high quality spice is helpful. Also, I prefer grade B maple syrup for its rich amber tones and caramelized flavor - but grade A works too.

One standard vegan pie crust - or make your own.

To Make:

1. Soak about one cup of raw cashews in about 2 ½ cups of water in a large bowl. Add about  ½ - 1 tsp of salt to the bowl - mix to dissolve. The salt allows the water to absorb more efficiently into the cashews and also adds some salt for your recipe. Note: you may want to soak more cashews than needed and make two pies.

2. Soak this cashew bowl overnight in the fridge. You want well-soaked cashews so that your pie mix blends up perfectly creamy. I soaked my cashews for about 18 hours. At least 8 is optimal. Don't soak for more than two days or the cashews can get grimy in my opinion.

3. The day of your actual pie making allow at least 3 hours from the time you start to the time you wish to serve the pie. I like a cool time of at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

5. Drain the water from your cashews. They should be very soft to bite and a slight purplish dark hue. This is normal. Add 1¼ cups of cashews to your food processor - or even better, a Vitamix or high speed blender.

6. Add pumpkin to blender. Next, add in the maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Blend on low -> high for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture is completely creamy. If your mixture is a bit thick for some reason - you can add in a few teaspoons of either water, maple syrup or even non-dairy milk. After blending, do a taste test and add a ½ teaspoon of salt if needed. I added in about 1 ⅓ tsp extra salt. But taste before adding.

7. Pour your mix into a par-baked vegan pie shell (I toast my raw pie shell in the 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes). You can buy a frozen crust or make your own.

8. Bake pie at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes - or until the edges look fluffy and a darker caramel orange tone. Use a toothpick in center if unsure. The tooth-picked filling should come out slightly wet - but very thick and dark. It is important to remember that your pie will firm up significantly upon cooling and chilling in the fridge.

9. Remove pie from oven. Cool on counter for at least 30 minutes. Then place in fridge until ready to serve. At least 2 hours cooling and/or chilling time is my preference. A warm pie will be tasty, but still a bit "wet" to slice.

10. Serve chilled!

A Little Bit Bah-Humbug

It all starts with Halloween. It was fun to dress up with Laramie and see other little kids and their parents dressed up, but I guess I just have a hard time with a holiday centered around going to stranger’s houses and getting candy. LOTS OF CANDY.  It doesn’t end with Halloween either. Then we move on to Thanksgiving, a holiday which revolves around food and utter over-indulgence. Then comes Christmas.  More like Stress-mas. Traveling, gift giving, MORE EATING. And then eating some MORE. Top it off with too much alcohol on New Year’s Eve and you’ve got a recipe for a serious health crisis. No wonder more than 80% of this country is dying from preventable chronic illness. We spend 10 months out of the year trying to repair the damage done in a short 4 months. 

I’m trying really hard to break this time-honored tragedy. 

For Halloween we don’t hand out candy. We hand out little toys or some fruit. I’m willing to be “that house” for the sake of our children. I cannot consciously, or in good conscience, contribute to childhood obesity and chronic illness. Laramie didn’t go trick-or-treating this year since she’s still too young to understand, but when the time comes for her to participate in the festivities, I’m going to have to get creative in finding ways to get around the candy. 

We’re hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year. I’m preparing a traditional meal without preservatives or casseroles. Organic as much as possible. My family has already begun to make fun of us, but again I cannot consciously perpetuate the tradition of eating highly processed foods.  Our menu will consist of oven-roasted turkey (free-range if I can find it), mashed cauliflower, sautéed fresh green beans, homemade cranberry sauce, oven-roasted broccoli with pine nuts, and a gluten-free bread. I also found this amazing recipe for pumpkin pie made of pumpkin, pumpkin spice, cashews, and maple syrup. I’m also not going to make too much food, I’d rather run out than eat too much. 

My goal for Christmas is to take the focus off gift giving.  I don’t NEED presents. I NEED my family. I want to spend Christmas having fun with my family. I LOVE playing games with family. I want to create a new family tradition this year. I’m hoping that it’s wildly successful. I would also love the focus to be on helping others, whether it is people from your church, your community, or a complete stranger. There are so many things that can bring a wonderful feeling of wellbeing and peace during the holidays. I’d rather focus on those things than spend money I don’t have on gifts people don’t need. 

Here’s to having a happy, healthy holiday season this year!

Dr. Emily :-)

Breastfeeding and the Cancer Connection

Many of you know how near and dear breastfeeding is to me (literally!) and since this is the month for breast cancer awareness (and pink of course!), I thought an article about the benefits of breastfeeding quite appropriate.

I’ll start by saying that there are WAY too many benefits to list in one blog, but I’ll hit some of the highlights. 

REDUCTION IN BREAST CANCER RISK. Few people even know about this amazing benefit. Sources vary as to the specific percentage that breast cancer risk is reduced, but all sources agree that the longer you breastfeed, the greater the protection. The World Health Organization and La Leche League International, the world’s foremost authority on breastfeeding, agree that mothers should try to breastfeed for the first TWO YEARS of a child’s life. Many countries breastfeed their children until they are 4 or 5, but cultural taboos and formula companies have undermined breastfeeding attempts in the United States, bringing our breastfeeding numbers down significantly. Additional benefits include a reduced risk of breast cancer in breastfed baby girls, and a risk reduction in other reproductive cancers, such as ovarian and uterine.

BREASTMILK IS NATURE’S VACCINE. Breastmilk is loaded with immune boosting cells and antibodies from the mother. If mom has a cold, then she will create antibodies and pass them, through her breastmilk, to her infant and either keep them from getting sick, or keep them from getting AS SICK (a milder version of the illness). Also, it goes the other way. If baby gets sick first, mom will be exposed and once again, she will make antibodies to help boost baby’s immune system. An infant’s immune system isn’t mature until the age of 2, which is the reason for recommending breastfeeding for the first two years of life. After the first year, breastmilk contains even MORE immune fighting cells since by this age, babies are getting most of their nutrition through foods and not from mom. A mother’s body KNOWS this and packs breastmilk FULL of nutrients and immune cells. How amazing is that?!

This same immune boost for our children is good news for employers of breastfeeding moms as well! Breastfed children are sick less often so a parent misses work less often. Add chiropractic to that and you’ve got a recipe for an awesome immune system!

REDUCED RISK OF OSTEOPOROSIS. Women who breastfeed their babies also have a decreased risk of developing osteoporosis. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the body innately knows to increase absorption of calcium from food we eat. What a bonus!

Again, this is the tip of the iceberg! Breastfeeding has many more benefits not listed here. If you ever want to know more, feel free to ask me. If you know a pregnant woman, please encourage her to breastfeed – not only for her baby’s health but for her’s too!

For more information on breastfeeding and support for breastfeeding moms, please ask me or visit La Leche League International online at www.llli.org.

-         Dr. Emily

Preservative-Free Parenting

            As a chiropractor, I prefer to live life without added chemicals. Same goes for my parenting style. My husband and I definitely take a different approach to parenting and it’s taken my family some getting used to. Here are some of our preservative-free parenting choices:

• Breastfeeding is Best! We hate the “F” word at our house:  formula, that is. Formula companies are as evil as drug companies these days. They prey on expectant moms by sending free formula samples to anyone with a baby registry at a big-box retailer. (**Note:  The same evening that I wrote this, I received $40 in formula coupons specifically for 1 year olds since they know when Laramie was born based on my registry. They’re evil.) They try to make formula sound like it’s as good as breastmilk. Here’s a visual for you. Stand on the ground. Now stand on a step stool. You are now closer to the moon, but in reality you are still A LONG WAY AWAY. This is how close formula is to breastmilk. There are situations when formula is the only option, such as adoption, but these exceptions are few and far between. Unfortunately, many medical professionals are not up to date on the latest research surrounding breastfeeding and when a baby should or should not be supplemented with formula. Check with a lactation consultant before supplementing with formula.

•  No processed foods. Laramie has not had any processed foods, dairy, or grains. This has been the hardest concept for my parents and grandparents to grasp. Introducing grains and dairy can cause an imbalance in an infant’s gut flora as well as set them up for gluten intolerances later in life. Children don’t NEED rice cereal or Cheerios. Ever. My policy is, if it has to be fortified with vitamins and minerals, it’s not worth eating. As her 1^st birthday is fast approaching, the pressure to give her an entire cake to eat has been coming from family members. Thanks to Pinterest, I have found a wonderful alternative. I will be shaping a watermelon into a cake and decorating it with fresh fruit. That will be plenty of sugar for a 1 year old!

• Organic clothes, bedding, toys, and more. We are avoiding the chemicals used to process all the extremely cute clothes and baby products sold today. There are so many chemicals that we come into contact with on a daily basis, so we’re trying to cut down on as many as possible in the home, especially those that come into direct contact with her skin. Items like mattresses, bottles, and plastic toys contain high amounts of toxic chemicals. Alternatives are organic cotton mattresses, glass bottles and sippy cups, and wooden toys with non-toxic and natural based paints.

These are just a few of the main principles we follow on a daily basis. Here at Smoky Valley Chiropractic, we are big believers in preservative-free living. Dr. Loder’s Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well classes and my (Dr. Emily) Natural Parenting classes are loaded with ways to live a toxic-free life! Come check us out!

- Dr. Emily :-)

Be a Wellness Watchdog

A certain company (which shall remain nameless) prides itself in its motto about helping you “get well, stay well, and live well”.  This same company also makes MILLIONS of dollars each year in prescription and over-the-counter drug sales, cigarettes, alcohol, and convenience foods (aka:  junk food). So take a step back for a moment. Does that REALLY sound like a company with an interest in your health, or solely an interest in your money? Don’t be fooled by their “interest” in being on the wellness bandwagon. Wellness is the latest health trend and the latest marketing trend. I encourage you to be a smart consumer. Look at the people and companies selling “wellness”.  Do they themselves look well? Do they practice what they preach? Everyone knows of a doctor who claims to have an interest in your health, but who slips outside between patients for a smoke. Or how about the 400 pound dietician? Why would you follow the advice of someone who doesn’t follow their own advice? So before you lay out another cent toward any kind of wellness care, ask yourself, “Is the person/company selling wellness actually interested in my wellbeing?” Your health is an investment. Invest wisely!

-         Dr. Emily

Living in a Positive State of Mind

            This blog goes along well with the Think Well class we had this past Wednesday, even though I’ve had this on my mind for a while. I lived in the state of Kansas for many years, but when I moved back, I moved back to a different state. State of mind, that is. Since joining Smoky Valley Chiropractic, I have made a very distinct and measurable change in my state of mind. I’ve always considered myself to be a positive and optimistic person, but I knew there were still some negative qualities hiding in there as well. Like, for example, I had a tendency to hold grudges. I don’t know why, but I did. One of the many things Dr. Loder has done to mentor me (the process is ongoing!) is give me a large stack of motivational CD’s. Now, my initial thought, was, “Oh, boy. Yipee.” BUT, like new vegetables, I’m trying to keep an open mind and try new things (for those of you who don’t know, I used to be quite the picky eater). I’ve actually really enjoyed the CD’s and they are great to listen to on my 20 minute drive to Lindsborg every morning. It’s a great way to get the day off to a great start. In fact, I’m re-listening to one right now because it was that good. 

Here are some of the things I’ve learned from the CD’s. Try implementing a couple for a week and see if they make as much difference in your life as they did mine!

     1.     Stop asking people, “How are you?” This opens them up to say something negative or to complain. Instead, make a positive statement about the day such as, “It’s so great to see you today!” or give them a compliment to boost their self-esteem. It’s really going to throw people when you don’t ask them how they are, but it will change your perspective as well as theirs.

     2.     When people ask YOU “How are you?” make sure to respond with a one word answer such as “Great!” or “Terrific!” Then, refer back to #1 – do not ask them how they are, but move on with a positive statement.

     3.     Encourage people to think positively. Those of you who follow me on Facebook, may have noticed that I’ve changed the focus of my status updates. I’m trying to only post positive events in my life or asking others to post positive events. Recently I asked people “What is one thing that makes you great? What is one thing you could do today to make yourself even greater?” Instead of posting something negative and getting a long string of comments, try posting something positive and see how many POSITIVE comments you can get! Positivity is contagious. Become infectious.

These three things seem SO SIMPLE, but have really had a large impact on my state of mind. Let me know how your little experiment goes! 

-         Dr. Emily :-)