Earthly Eating

What you eat may affect how you think. Here are some great brain boosting foods.

Omega-3 fatty acids: They are found in fatty fish like salmon and tune and in flaxseed oil, walnuts and canola oil. Or you can take three grams of fish oil a day. Look for brands with toxins removed. Pregnant women who eat at least 12 ounces of seafood a week containing omega-3s, have children with significantly high IQ scores, a lower risk of behavioral problems, and fewer difficulties with fine motor skills, communication and social development. If you are pregnant and worried about mercury, the FDA says to eat no more than 12 ounces of fish a week.

Blueberries are another. Certain fruits and vegetables may slow and even reverse age-related declines in brain function and motor performance. Blueberries appear to be especially healthy. They are rich in anthocyanina, flavonoids that seem to offer brain benefits.

Two others are green tea and chocolate. Green tea is addition to its other healthy properties, green tea may help improve memory and prevent some age-related memory loss.

On the other, chocolate is rich in flavonols, substances that dilate your arteries. Flavonol-rich cocoa improves blood flow, which may help prevent age-related dementia. (Source: RD 2007)
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Chicken Cacciatore & Italian Herb Pasta
Serves: 4

1 tbs. olive oil
2 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs and/or breasts)
1/2 tsp. each of salt and ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. each of paprika and dried thyme leaves
3 green onions with tops, sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 medium green pepper, diced
4 oz. (about 1 cup) sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white wine, optional
1 package (4.6 oz) Italian herb pasta

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Season chicken pieces with combined salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.

2. Add chicken to the skillet and sauté until golden brown on each side,

3. Add green onions, garlic, green pepper and mushrooms, and continue browning 1 to 2 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, tomato paste and wine; pour over chicken pieces.

5. Cook, covered, over medium heat for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.

6. Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Serve with chicken and sauce.

Happy Eating!

The basics in any lunch or any meal at all is the main building blocks of anyone’s diet plan. Once people grasp the understanding of what their bodies need and what they aren’t given it, the “diet” fads will go bye bye. Here are some main ideas to keep in mind when making healthy food decisions.

Whole grains, fruits and vegtables (one of each), calcium and lean protein are the components of a healthy lunch. And the USDA recommends the following:

• Six onces of grains: half of the daily intake should be whole grains, but 100% is best. Whole grains contain fiber and vitamins that refined grains do not. Choose whole grain products when buying breads, tortillas, pastas, and cereal. Serve brown rice, quinoa, whole barley, bulgar or buckwheat as well.

• Two and a half cups of vegetables and one and a half cups of fruits: Choose fresh and keep it varied, since different fruits and vegetables offer different vitamins and nutrients. Include fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors, and buy what’s in season: apples in autumn, oranges in winter. Shop local farmers markets or join a community suppoerted agriculture (CSA) co-op that arranges food deliveries from a local farm. And always buy organic.

• Three cups of milk for children two to eight years old: Try to include l;owfat milk and cheese, yogurt, non-genetically modified (non-GMO) calcium fortified soy or dark, leafy greens.

• Five ounces of lean protein: Use lean varieties of turkey, chicken and ham. Fatty fish such as fresh salmon and tuna are packed with healthy omega 3-fatty acids. Low-mercury canned tuna and antibiotic and hormone-free meats, both great choices, are cold in many supermarkets, even as store brands. If the animal source protein is a problem try legumes, non-GMO tofu and tempeh are great alternatives. (Source: KIWI 2007)

**Have you thought of your New Years resolution? Chuck Hinson over at Charlotte, NC blog here at 451 Press has listed his and it’s a mighty fine list at that. Read it here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe

Creamy Rice Pudding
Serves: 8

1 1/2 quarts 2% milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white rice
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine milk, sugar and rice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a gently boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (The milk should just barely simmer, with bubbles breaking only at the outside edge of the surface. After an hour, the rice should be soft.)

Add raisins, increasse heat to medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed most of the rest of the milk, but not all, and the pudding is creamy (about 30 minutes longer).

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. When cool, pudding will thicken, but will be very creamy. Serve warm or well chilled.

Happy Eating!

Althought typically thought of as a root, ginger is actually a rhizome that possess buds and nodes. Native to India and China, it has been a crucial element in Chinese medicine for centuries and is referenced in the writings of Confusious. It also is mentioned in the Koran and was one of the earliest known Western European spices, used since the ninth century.

In cooking, ginger is enjoyed in many ways, whole raw and fresh roots, dried roots, powdered, preserved, crystallized and pickled. It can be sliced and eaten as a salad, but more commonly it is used in Asian pickles, chutneys and curry pastes, as well as in cakes, cookies, jams, ginger beer, wine and tea, such as ginger, lemon and honey in hot water. Another drink known to use ginger as one of the main ingredients is a smoothie that combines ginger and orange. It is sort of a wake-up drink that can be enjoyed in the morning hours instead of coffee. In Scotland, “ginger” means any carbonated soft drink.

Shaving ginger on a cheese grater and wrapping the shavings into cheese cloth is a great way to rid your body of toxins when combined with your hot bath. Or you could incorporate ginger when cooking chicken to give your chicken an added kick. Crystalized ginger has been used for many years to be an all-natural cure for nausea or motion sickness.

For the skin, ginger is known mainly for its anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxing properties, as well as its calming aromatherapeutic qualities. Its spicy scent uplifts, stimulates, helps relieve mental fatigue and improves memory. In the United Kingdom “ginger” is common slang for a red-haired individual and South Park® cartoon did a skit portraying this a few years back.

Ginger takes its name from the Sanskrit word string-vera, which means “with a body like a horn.” It also became so popular in Europe in earlier centuried that it was included in every table setting, just like salt and pepper are today. English pubs in the 19th century put out small containers of ground ginger for people to sprinkle on their beers, hince the origin of Ginger Ale. Ginger has long been considered an aphrodisiac. It is also known as a diaphoretic meaning it causes people to sweat.

Ginger was mentioned in the Kama Sutra and has been employed in the Melanesian Islands of the South Pacfic to gain the affection of women. In the Philippines, ginger is chewed to expel eveil spirits. Henry VIII instructed the mayor of London to use ginger’s diaphoretic qualities as a medicine for the plague as well.

Use the aromatherapeutic values of ginger to relieve stress, tension, muscle cramps, etc. Wheather through treatments, in cusine or as a fragrance. Feel the warm feelings that gingers aroma will evoke into your own life. You won’t soon forget your experience, especially when you smell calming gingers qualities. It will enhance your beauty regimen and will most certainly end in a memorable experience with Ginger.

**Ever wonder what’s been happening to Rachel (aka: Jennifer Aniston) off Friends? Over at Jennifer Aniston Watch, Erin catches you up on a few things as well as talks about the season nine episode and how the new image of “Rachel” really set with audiences. Read the rest of the story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: Week Of Salmon Recipes (Day 4)

Grilled Salmon Steajs with Cilantro Peasto and Cumin-Dusted Toasts
Serves: 4

Cilantro Pesto:
2 cups fresh colantro leaves
4 tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tbs. water
2 tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Grilled Salmon and Cumin-Dusted Toasts:
4 (5-ounce_ salmon steaks, about 1-inch-thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive-oil cooking spray
1 baguette, sliced crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds
1 bunch fresh asparagus (about 1/2 pound), woody ends trimmed
1 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste

1. Preheat grill.

2. To prepare pesto, in a blender combine cilantro, lime juice, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Purée until smooth. Set aside.

3. Season both sides of salmon with salt and pepper to taste. Spray baguette rounds and asparagus with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of bread slices with cumin, and salt to taste. Place salmon on hot grill, and arrange bread and asparagus around the outside, where to grill is not as hot. Grill salmon, bread, ans asparagus 5 to 7 minutes then turn fish and bread halfway through cooking, while turning asparagus frequently. Cook until fish is fork-tender, bread is golden brown and the asparagus is crisp-tender.

Happy Eating!

• A small change: A small change can be a big one to your diet. If it’s the right one. If you replace th stnadard iceberg lettuce in hanburgers, tacos, and subd with fresh spinach, you add an awesome amount of vitmain A and C, folic acid, and other nutrients to meals. Honestly you can’t taste the lettuce or the spinach difference at all. So you can try this painless way to sneak more nutrition into your and your family’s favorite foods. Toss fresh spinach into anything. Salad mixes, sandwiches, pizzas and anything else you can think of. There is a restaurant in Arkansas, where I used to live, that served spinach topped pizza and let me tell you it was the best. It gave the cheese on the pizza a richer taste.

• Make a better oatmeal: For a morning calcium boost, cook instant oatmeal with skim (or soy) milk instead of water.

•De-ice your smoothies: Use frozen bananas instead of crushed ice for a nutritious twist to your favorite smoothie.

•Mix your cereals: If you are stuck on a sweet breakfast cerals, try belinging your favorite with a bett-for0you brand. For example: Mix Honey Nut Cheerious® with Grape-Nuts® or Cap’n Crunch® with some type of bran cereal.

•Modify your muffins: Mix high-fiber, nutrient-dense dried fruits like apricots into your batter, half the all-purpose flour with soy flour.

Here is another FYI in the cereal department: Eating more ceral fiber, the kind found in whole wheat breadm ceral, pasta, rice, and oats, may help you avoid one type of stomach cancer. If you consume cereal fiber you have over a 70% lower chance in developing certain types of cancers such as oral cancers, stomach cancer, throat cancers, and cancer of the esophagus.

** Think you are bypassing caffeine by drinking a citrus soda, you maybe getting just as much if not more than a regular cola. Over at Encouraging Health, Brick O’Neil shows a run down of some of the most popular citrus sodas compared to regular colas and shows their caffeine content. Read the whole story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: Week Of Salmon Recipes, Day 3

Chili-Rubbed Salmon With Gazpacho-Black Bean Salso
Serves: 4

Ingredients for the Chili-Rubbed Salmon:
Olive oil cooking spray
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tbs. sugar
3 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. finely ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets

Gazpacho-Black Bean Salsa:
1 cup tomato juice
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded, and diced (optional)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside.

3. In a shallow dish, combine lemon juice, sugar, chili powder, lemon zest, cumin, salt, and balck pepper. Mix with a fork, or whisk until blended. Add salmon fillets, and turn to coat. Transfer salmon to prepared baking shett, and roast 15 minutes until fork-tender.

4. Combine all salsa ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Serve salmon with salsa on top and alongside.

Happy Eating!

You should maintain your acid-alkaline balance to curtail colds and keep inflammation in check. Paying attention to the acid-alkaline balance is one if the most crucial ways you can affect your health status. It inpacts immunity, digestoion, bone strength, symptoms of joint disease, hormones, and the function of essential internal organs. What’s more, a spoonful of alkalinity can also lessen the severity of colds, sore throats, and other winter illnesses.

First of all, what is pH? It is a measure of acidity and alkalinity. The word comes from the French pouvoir hydrogène, pH describes hydrogen ion activity. A pH of 1 is more acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most alkaline. The balance of aciity and alkalinity in your body allows essential chemical reactions to take place in cells and tissues. The stomach, with all its fluctuation digestive juices, is more acid than the brain or blodd, which are slightly alkaline (at about 7.1 and 7.4). The balances are maintained via various proteins, minerals, and kidney and lung functions. Everything you eat or drink affects PH balance. Breathing regulates PH as well.

Cells need to be slightly alkaline; most Americans, however, suffer from an abundance of acidity. Stress, medications, illness, and highly strenuous exercise promot acid production; so do many of the foods favored in the typical Western diet. Fatty, high-protein fast foods like cheeseburgers and french fries trigger the stomach to secrete extra amounts of acidic digestive juices. Refined flour and sugar, reduce the acid compounds once they’re metabolized. Considering that too much acidity is associated with many degenerative disease, from colitis to rheumatoid arthritis, this “value meal” isn’t such a bargin after all huh?

Age is also a contributing factor. Acid-alkaline balance is relatively easy to maintain whne we are young and out regulating mechanisms are in good working order. But, each passing decaed, starting in our 40s or even earlier, the efficiency of our buffering systems begins to decline rapidly.

Take for instance the following the following foods and where the are on the pH scale. Most foods range between 2 and 8 on the pH scale:

•Blackberries: 3.8-4.5

•Tomato: 4.3-4.9

•Banana: 4.5-5.2

•Whole-Wheat Bread: 5.4-5.8

•Potato: 5.4-5.9

•Artichoke: 5.5-6.0

•Cantaloupe: 6.1-6.6

•Brown Rice: 6.2-6.8

•Sea Bass: 6.5-6.8

•Tofu: 7.2

•Tea: 7.2

•Camembert Cheese: 7.4

Here are 10 ways to Alkaline:

1. For Breakfast: Instead of orange juice, coffee, and a bagel, have a slioce of melon, herbal tea or a garin-bases coffee substitute, and whole-grain toast.

2. At Lunch: Opt for bean or vegetable soup rather than tomato soup.

3. Add Crunch And Color To Your Salad: With celery and sweet red peppers rather than tart cucumber and tomatoes. And instead of an acidic vinaigrette, prepare a dressing using tahini and soy sauce: In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste), 1/4 cup water, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce, beating together with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon finely ground parsley, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

4. If You Feel Like A Burger: Stick tyo soy meats.

5. Choose Fish: It’s more alkalizing than red meat.

6. Iced Ginger Tea: Has the pleasing bite of a cola drink wihtou the high acidity.

7. For A Calcium Fix: Choose a small wedge of cheese (typically 5.0 to 6.1 pH) over yogurt (3.8 to 4.2). Ypgurt with sugar-sweetened fruit may be even more acidic; once sugar is metabolized, it ends up as acid in your system.

8. To Make A Less Acidic Fruit Salad: Use guava, papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe, pear, banana, figs, and dates.

9. Raise A Glass: Filled with a favorite beer insead of a tart wine to make a toast.

10. Avoid Acidity Triggers: Food sensitivities can bring about symptoms of over-acidity. Some common culprits include wheat, dairy, bus, and seafood.

Do you think you are unbalanced? To find out wheather your syustem is generally alkaline or overly acid, you can have some fun running informal tests at home. The following yes/no questionaire will give you an idea of how much you should change your pH level. And if you are luck, you won’t need to change a thing:

1. After consuming fried foods, red meat, fast food, colas, or desserts, I don’t feel my best.

2. I eat refined foods like white flour and sugar regularly.

3. I regularly take asprin, antibiotics, or unbuffered vitamin C.

4. Vigorous exercise often leaves me feeling exhausted.

5. After an hour of work at my desk, I’m mentally and physically tired.

6. My muscles often feel stiff and sore.

7. I have a history of osteoporosis, arthritis, or gout.

8. I frequently get sick with colds.

9. I am susceptible to sore throats, canker sores, or food allergies.

10. I am over the age of 50.

(If you answered yes to five o more of these questions, you are more than likely to be over acidic. Even one yes could be an indicator. Talk to your doctor to get a more accurate test and to find out how to change it.)

(Source: Some information pulled from NH 2007)

**Do you think the image of Santa is too fat? Do you think the American public should have a thinner role model for Christmas time? Over at Get Incensed, Mark Jabo writes about how thinner Santas are wanted over heavier ones. Read the whole story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: Week Of Salmon Recipes Day 2

Creamy Salmon Caesar Salad With Sourdough Croutons
Serves: 4

2 cups cubed sourdough bread
Olive oil cooking spray
1 pound slamon fillet
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup nonfat reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 anchovy fillets (optional)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups tomaine lettuce, rinsed well and patted dry, torn

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. To prepare croutons, arrange sourdough cubes on a large baking sheet. Spray cubes with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes until golden brown. Set aside.

3. Place slamon in a shallow, microwave-safe baking dish. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and microwave, on HIGH for 3 minutes or until fish is fork-tender, rotating dish halfway through cooking.

4. Transfer salmon to a cutting board, and using two forks, break up fish into 2-inch pieces. Discard skin, and set salmon pieces aside.

5. In a blender combione sour cream, chicken broth, 2 tbs. Parmesan. lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Purée until smooth.

6. Place lettuce in a large bowl, and add salmon and croutons. Drizzle dressing over top of salad, and gently toss to coat. Transfer mixture to 4 individual serving bowls, and sprinkle remaining Parmesan over top.

Happy Eating!

What can be frozen without worry and what can’t? Here’s a little information to help you get in the know.

• Which can be stored longer: Ground beef or fresh shrimp?

Fresh shrimp. Fresh shrimp can be kept up to 12 months when ground beef can only be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. A lot and I mean A LOT of people eat ground beef from the freezer after 3 months and with that they “could” be eating past-prime meat. To benefit from the maximum shelf life, your freezer should be kept at 0°F.

• How long will frozen food last is there’s a power outage?

Two days, if the freezer is full. Reasoning: The frozen food will keep itself and other frozen items around it frozen for a maximum of two days. Longer if it is cold weather and the freezer is outside and able to take advantage of the cold climate. If not, better start making meals that work around your frozen food items.

• Is it OK to store ice cream in the freezer door?

NO. Ice cream is best when stored between -5 and 0°F.; it will be firm enough to hold its shape, but easy to dip between 6 and 10°F, the ideal serving temperature range. Store ice cream in the main part of the freezer, not in the door where it is subject to more fluctuating temperatures. (Souce: Easyhomemeals)

12 Reasons Why Frozen Foods are Best for your Household

Availability

Frozen, eliminates losses experienced from spoilage and shrinkage. Frozen at the peak of perfection, there is presently no better method of food preservation. Seasonal limitations are a part of the past.

Convenience

Frozen foods are so convenient. The cleaning, picking, dicing, chopping and squeezing has been done. It’s all prepared, ready to take from your freezer, heat and serve.

Economy

Frozen foods are economical. You do not pay for stalks, pits, skins, rinds or damaged food. They cost less than their fresh counterparts.

Food Safety

Frozen foods offer explicit cooking directions. And because the preparation (dicing, chopping, etc.) has already been done, all you have to do is heat and serve—less chance for contamination in the preparation process.

Freshness

Freezing foods seal in freshness. Foods designed for the freezer are selected at their peak of nutrition and flavor, quickly processed and frozen within hours, before there has been any deterioration in quality.

Labeling

Frozen food packages tell you what you’re eating. Packages have ingredient and nutrition labeling. If you’re health conscious, counting calories or on doctor’s orders, frozen foods can help.

Longer Storage

Frozen foods have a longer storage time than fresh, offering maximum flexibility. Frozen broccoli, for example, stays fresh in the freezer for up to eight months, whereas fresh broccoli usually must be consumed within a week.

No Waste

With frozen foods you have food that is 100 percent edible. You don’t pay for waste such as the pits of fruits, the shells, peels and outer leaves of vegetables, bones in fish or the fat on the meat. In addition, frozen foods in poly bags (vegetables, fruits, pasta) offer easy portion control. Just pour out the amount needed and return the rest to the freezer for future use.

Nutrition

There’s no better known means of preserving food than by freezing. Commercial rapid-freezing processes maintain nutritional quality of products without chemical preservatives. And food quick-frozen and properly stored keep their high nutritional value.

Quality

Frozen foods are consistent in quality. Only the best ingredients are used. That’s because of industry quality control procedures that begin on the farm.

Taste

Frozen foods can pass the most discriminating taste tests. An entree which has been correctly formulated, maintained at 0°F. and heated according to manufacturer’s specifications, should taste identical to an on-premise prepared item.

Value

Because frozen foods fit the way people live and eat today, they offer incomparable value in a number of ways: dollar savings, nutrition and quality, time savings.

**Having trouble adjusting to the time-change? Well, over at Current Events Watch, Doug Robertson writes “After clocks are turned back this weekend, pedestrians walking during the evening rush hour are nearly three times more likely to be struck and killed by cars than before the time change, two scientists calculate.” So given that information, it’s a valid escuse to linger. Read the rest of the story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: Week Of Salmon Recipes

Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon With Noodles
Serves 4

Cooking Spray
2 tbs. water
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs. rice vinegar
2 tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground dried ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 (5-oz) salmon fillets
8 ounces uncooked vermicelli or somen noodles
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh scallions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. (Salmon may also be grilled or broiled 3 minutes per side until fork-tender.)

2. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

3. To prepare teriyaki glaze, in a shallow dish, whisk together water, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.

4. Add salmon, and turn to coat. (Salmon can marinate, covered, in the refrigerator up to 1 hour.)

5. Transfer salmon to prepared roasting pan, and pour teriyaki mixture over it. Roast 15 minutes or until fork-tender.

6. Cook noodles in a meidum-sized pot of rapidly boiling water according to package directions. Drain and trasfer to a large bowl. Add sesame oil, and toss to coat.

7. Transfer noodles to four individual plates, and top each with a salmon fillet. Spoon any teriyaki glaze remaining in pan over salmon, and sprinkle chopped scallions on top.

Happy Eating!

It’s delicious, nutritious, and easy to prepare. Best of all, salmon is great for your heart.

Salmon on the grill is one of best dishes, except when it sticks to the grill rack. To avoid this mishap, scour the rack with a wire brush, wipe off any grit with a spare rag, then preheat the rack over medium-hot coals or on an indoor grill if cooking inside. (Just fading from orange to gray is cooking on a charcoal grill.) Here are some other ideas to keep in mind when cooking salmon:

1. Using tongs, grasp a clean paper towel that’s been folded, then soaked with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil; wipe the hot grill to remove as much lingering grime as possible.

2. With a pastry brush dipped in oil, lightly coat both sides of the fish. The oil variety isn’t crucial; use whatever kind the recipe you are following calls for.

3. Place the fish near but not directly over the coals’ hottest spot. Wait 2 to 3 minutes, then with a spatuala, lift the fish and rotate it a quarter turn, cook 2 minutes more. Turn the fish over and cook 3 to 5 minutes more on opposite side.

4. Check for doneness by using a knife or fork to peek inside the salmon’s thickest part. When the flesh is nearly but not entirely opaque, remove the fish to a warm platter. It will cook through on its way to the table.

**Casey Affleck is getting to be a household name now, just like his brother Ben. Over at Cinema Hype, Liz talks about how his roles are getting him more and more into the spot light. Read more about him here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Salmon Chowder
Serves: 4

2 tsp. olive oil
2 leeks, rinsed well, ends trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried tarragon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
6 small red poatoes (about 1/2 pound total), cut into 1-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups nonfat reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pound salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
4 tsp. minced fresh chives (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and garlic, and sauté 3 minutes, stirring, until tender. Add bay leaves, tarragon, salt, and pepper; stir to coat. Add potatoes and chicken broth, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 8 minutes. Add salmon and simmer 2 minutes, or until fish is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender.

2. Remove from heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in half-and-half. Ladle chowder into bowls, and top with chives.

Happy Eating!

Use of anitbiotic medicine in the first year of a childs life may increase a their risk of asthma by age seven. The impact is greater among lower risk children (those whose mothers where asthma free and who lived in rural areas). You need good bacteria in your digestive tract for normal development of immune system so that you don’t end up with asthma. Look for live, active cultures in natural yogurts and probiotics supplements to offer children especially if they must take antibiotics.

**Upset with eBay lately? Well Paul is over at Toy Bender and he really gets into it in his post about eBay Madness: Wet Suit. Read the whole story here.**

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Earthly Eating Recipe:

Baked Salmon with Potatoes, Onions, and Fennel
Serves: 4

Olive oil cooking spray
2 Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound total), peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, ends and stalks trimmed, bulb halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 tbs. drained capers
4 (5-ounce) salmon fillets
4 tbs. crumbled feta cheese
3 tbs. seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vermouth, dry white wine, or chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray an 11 x 7-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in 4 slightly overlapping rows in the bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine onion, fennel, sugar, and thyme. Toss to combine. Arrange onion and fennel mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle the top with capers. Bake 15 minutes.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
5. Arrange salmon fillets on top of vegetables.
6. In a samll bowl, combine feta, breadcrumbs, and vermouth. Toss gently to combine. Sprinkle mixture over salmon and vegetables. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until fish is fork-tender.

*Nutrition Facts:
Calories 379 per serving, Fat 11g, (4g sat.), Protein 30g, Carbs 41g, Fiber 5g, Cholesterol 75 mg, Iron 2mg, Sodium 563mg, Calcium 147mg

Happy Eating!