Instapot Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

by March 9, 2023

Ingredients – organic when possible:

  • 2 tsp Himalayan salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ~ 4 lb. whole chicken
  • 1 lemon – sliced
  • 2 tbsp tallow [or lard, butter, or your choice of cooking oil]
  • 1 cup chicken broth

Instructions:

  1. In a bowl, mix: all the spices.
  2. Clean chicken cavity out. Then stuff with lemon slices. Pat chicken dry. Season chicken on both sides.
  3. Turn on Intsapot sauté setting on high. Add tallow or your choice of fat/oil. Add chicken, breast side down. Allow to cook for 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken and cook the other side for another 5 minutes. Remove from pot; set aside. Turn off Instapot.
  4. Pour in 1 cup of broth. Scrap any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add metal trivet and place whole chicken on top.
  5. Select manual setting; pressure cook setting on high; 30 minutes. Place lid on Instapot, seal valve closed.
  6. When finished, allow to depressurize on its own. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
  7. *Optional* Reserve liquid to make gravy from scratch.
  8. Serve immediately with your favorites sides.
seed oils

Are seed oils good for our health?

by March 6, 2023

For my family, I try to avoid seed oils as much as possible. You may be asking yourself “why”? Well, we already get an unhealthy amount in processed foods. Foods like bread, tortilla, chips, crackers, occasional fried food in restaurants,  etc. I don’t need to add seed oils to the foods I cook at home.

Seed Oils are Problematic

Lets take a look at the problems with seed oils..

Seed Oils have an Imbalanced Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio

One of the issues with the foods we are consuming is that they are greatly imbalanced in their essential fatty acid content.

Essential fatty acids are a type of fat that the human body cannot naturally produce. We must consume them in foods we eat. Essential fatty acids consist in two varieties: omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids give rise to inflammation in the body. While mega-3 fatty acids provide an anti-inflammatory response. Our ancestors consumed omega-6 to omega-3’s in a 1 to 1 ratio. Where as today many are consuming omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio similar to 20 to 1. This has contributed to chronic inflammation as well as chronic diseases.

Seed Oils are Unstable

Seed oils are very unstable. By the time most seed oils are placed on grocery store shelves, they are already rancid. Exposure to heat, light, chemicals, repeated heating, oxidation, etc produce byproducts and toxins. These byproducts and toxins lead to damage throughout the body which leads to chronic diseases.

History of Seed Oils

Seed oils were recently introduced into the human diet. Before the use of seed oils, people used natural fats. These common fats consisted of:  olive oil, coconut oil, butter and ghee (cows), lard (pigs), and suet (beef or mutton).

Why did the shift to seed oils occur? Sketchy donations to the medical organizations, sketchy research (follow the money), and unscientific marketing claims – much like we recently witnessed during the  c o v i d push.

In 1961, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommended polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) to replace saturated fats.  Saturated fats were condemned as a cause of heart disease. The decline in the health of President Eisenhower was also attributed to saturated fats, furthering public opinion.

Just like the mockingbird media, medical organizations began repeating the AHA’s advice that animal fats were bad and the switch to seed oil was better.

My biggest words of advice would be to research for yourself. Don’t just take my word for it. Below are a few links you can start at. Don’t stop there. Keep researching. With knowledge comes power and health.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-vegetable-and-seed-oils-bad#consumption

List of Good Fats and Oils versus Bad

Okay, so you’ve done the research and now you want to make changes. Where to start? My go-to’s are rendered animal fats and butter. I render most animal fats myself to make tallow or lard. Check out our step by step on how to render your own fat in our Animal Based Foods blog section.

  • Butter, preferably organic, homemade, or from a local farm
  • Tallow or Lard, preferably rendered yourself or from a local homesteader with like-minded beliefs
  •  ghee
  • unrefined coconut oil (slightly changes flavor)

Additional Resources:

https://www.doctorkiltz.com/beef-tallow/

https://www.doctorkiltz.com/benefits-of-butter/

kid sick

Your kid is sick. Now what?

by February 28, 2023

Your kid is sick. Now what?

Over and over again I read posts like “My kid has a fever of 102.6 (give or take) and is miserable. He/she won’t eat. It’s been 24 hours (give or take) and they haven’t eaten anything! They slept all day. How can I make them eat?!”

What if I told you, at times, the body is pretty clever by reducing the desire to eat when you don’t feel well? What if I told you that it’s totally normal and healthy for your child to naturally fast during times of dis-ease. Not only children, but adults, and even animals alike. If you truly paid attention during your next illness, you might notice a decrease in appetite and a desire to stay in bed.

We notice it more in children and animals because most of them actually pay attention to their body’s needs and have a pure desire to follow instinct to feel better. Adults, not so much. Adults have a hard time slowing down to rest, listening to their body’s needs, and allow their body to do its job in repairing itself. The indoctrination of “you can’t afford to rest,” “you have too much to get done to spend the day in bed” or “you must eat 3 meals a day, every day to be healthy” has been drilled into our heads. If we don’t eat for a day or so, it’s not healthy.

The truth is our body instinctively chooses the priority to heal. Whatever is causing us the most dis-stress at a given time is what the body wants to focus on. It throws all its energy trying to repair the dis-ease – whatever it may be.

When our body is battling illness, it often wants to focus fully on batting the invaders, the “bugs” so to speak. Some researchers claim intermittent fasting also lowers the inflammation response and forces the body to burn fat for energy during dis-ease. When we make ourselves eat during these times, our body is forced to retreat from battling those “bug” invaders because now it has to digest and break down the food(s) you just ate. In turn, also increasing the inflammation which allows the cycle to continue longer.

I’m not saying every illness will cause a lack of appetite. There is an old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever.” Bacteria loads and Viral loads act differently with glucose levels. My biggest advice is to follow instinct. Bottom line, if you are hungry, eat foods that will boost your immune system, feed the good bacteria in your gut, and help you recover. If you lost your appetite, don’t force it. Even if it’s been a full day or two, that’s okay. Listen to the body!

Eventually your kid will come to you and ask for food. This is when nutrition becomes extremely important. Feed easy to digest, high in antioxidants, nutritionally dense food, and foods that rebalance the microbiome during these times. Let your child, or yourself, eat as much or as little as they want of these items or alike. Don’t force a full meal if they aren’t ready.

Fantastic choices:

  • Wild blueberries
  • All berries really
  • Mango (and other foods high in vit c)
  • Oranges
  • Pineapple
  • Raw milk
  • Yogurt with live cultures
  • Smoothies
  • Soup – preferably homemade (chicken noodle is my daughters go-to)
  • Bone broth – preferably homemade
  • Fresh lemon (aid) water with honey and a pinch of Himalayan salt (electrolyte boost)
  • Garlic
  • Etc

Okay, now that we’ve talked about the food aspect, let’s spend time on sleep/resting. Why is it so important to allow your child, or yourself, to sleep the day away?

Like natural fasting, our body naturally wants to rest/sleep during times of dis-ease. While we sleep, our body is able to use all of its energy to aid in recovery. Cytokines, a type of protein that targets infections, are produced and released during our sleep cycles. Sleeping actually helps boost the immune response to illness. Less sleep = less energy our body has to aid in repair. As long as your child, or yourself, remember to drink fluids when you wake throughout the day, and if feeling up to it eat something small, sleeping the entire day or several days is completely normal. If, however, there is no improvement after several days to a full week, you need to figure out why.

If you would like to figure out a personalized nutritional protocol to aid in recovery, support the body’s specific needs, and help rebuild nutrition during times of dis-ease, give us a call to schedule a nutritional consultation and or scan. We want to help our members during these difficult times. If you physically cannot make it out of bed, we can schedule a remote session through zoom so you can still get the support you need.

Additional Resources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24434759/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/fasting-while-sick#different-illnesses

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33076307/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7362776/

https://www.healthline.com/health/sleeping-when-sick#how-much-is-too-much

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2839418/

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health/how-sleep-affects-immunity

cauliflower leek soup

Cauliflower Leek Soup

by February 27, 2023

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil [or lard, tallow]
  • 3 tbsp butter [or Myikos]
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2-3 leeks – cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 head cauliflower – 4 to 5 cups worth
  • 3 cups broth [chicken or vegetable]
  • 1 cup cashews [or heavy cream, raw milk]
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • bacon for garnish – optional
  • chives for garnish – optional

Some people like to add cumin or even paprika to add flavor. Some like to sprinkle the soup with cheese. Get creative!

Instructions:

  1. In an Instapot on normal simmer setting, heat oil, butter, and garlic for a few minutes. Then add leeks and cauliflower. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes.
  2. Add broth and **if using cashews, add them now. If you are using cream or milk, wait until step 4** allow the simmer to bring to a boil. Once it’s at a boil, hit the cancel button to turn the simmer setting off. Close lid and seal valve. Turn on the manual pressure setting. Set for 30 minutes on normal pressure.
  3. While the soup is cooking, fry up a few slices of bacon. Once cooked to your liking, crumble up to use as a garnish for the soup.
  4. After the 30 minute timer ends, allow soup to depressurize on its own. After depressurized, blend soup with an immersion blender or hand mixer. If you are using heavy cream or milk, add it now and mix until blended.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with bacon crumbles and chives

*To thicken soup, reduce it down in the Instapot with the lid off by turning the simmer setting back on to low. stir frequently. Alternatively, you can add a little psyllium husk or flour to thicken the soup.*

sprouts

Basic Sprouts

by February 21, 2023

Basic Sprouts – You will need a glass mason jar, a fine mesh mason jar lid for growing sprouts, or cheesecloth and a rubber band for this recipe.

Things you’ll need:

  • glass mason jar
  • fine mesh mason jar lid for growing sprouts or cheese cloth
  • rubber band
  • 3 to 4 tbsp seeds for sprouting
  • filtered or distilled water

Instructions:

  1. Measure out seeds. Remove any seeds that are shriveled, cracked, or discolored.  *NOTE* remember the volume will be larger than the amount of seeds you started with.
  2. Put seeds in a clean jar and cover with water. Put a screen over the wide mouth mason jar and secure with rubber band. Gently swirl water around in jar, rinsing seeds well. Then flip the jar to drain through the screen. Cover seeds with plenty of fresh filtered or distilled water. Soak for 8 to 12 hours, or over night.
  3. Drain and rinse seeds through screen 2 to 3 times. Set jar at a 45 degree angle in a bowl or dish rack to let it drain, Make sure any extra water is able to drain out of the jar. Don’t let the jar sit in drained water.
  4. Keep seeds away from light. Put jar in a dark area of the kitchen or cover it with a dish towel. Repeat rinsing and draining 2 to 3 times a day for 2 to 3 days. The length of sprouting time depends on the sprouts you are growing.
  5. Once seeds have sprouted, cover the jar with an airtight lid and store in the fridge. *NOTE* The last rinse must be 8 hours prior so that the sprouts have time to dry out. If they are still wet, they will mold quickly in the fridge! If you are using kidney beans, or large beans alike, some people prefer to lightly cook them after sprouting to rid them of natural occurring toxins. Please do your research if you are sprouting large beans as they do cause some people digestive upset if left raw. Chickpea, adzuki, mung, and black beans are okay to consume in their sprouted raw forms in moderation.

respiratory illness and disease

Respiratory Illnesses and Diseases

by February 21, 2023

We’ve all experienced a bout of respiratory illness at some point in our loves. Today we will look at some causes and symptoms of respiratory illness and disease.

What causes breathing difficulties?

  • Chemicals
  • Mold exposure
  • Viruses
  • Bacteria
  • Smoke
  • Environmental toxins
  • Parasites
  • Weak Lungs
  • Weak Heart
  • Blockages
  • Chronic Inflammation
  • Food allergies/sensitivities
  • V a c c i n a t i o n s
  • etc

What do breathing difficulties look like?

A few examples may involve:

  • Difficult breathing
  • Uncomfortable breathing
  • Feeling like you are not getting enough air
  • Wheezing
  • Tightness in chest
  • A feeling of choking

What are the most common respiratory illnesses?

The mainstream medical system classifies the top 8 respiratory illnesses and diseases as followed:

  1. Asthma
  2. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  3. Chronic bronchitis
  4. Emphysema
  5. Lung Cancer
  6. Cystic fibrosis
  7. Pneumonia
  8. Pleural effusion

Modern medical professionals typically treat these illnesses and diseases with pharmaceutical medications. Medications like antihistamines, decongestants, inhaled steroids, and allergy shots.

Learn more about how western medicine addresses respiratory illnesses:

Here at McElwee Natural Health and Healing, we believe finding the root cause of your symptoms is the key to recovery. Once we determine the stressors, we find the best nutritional protocol to meet the individual body’s need(s) to heal.

Do you struggle with chronic respiratory illness and disease? You don’t have to live that way! Call us today to schedule a scan.

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      3415 McCommons Rd. Churchville MD. 21028

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