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Just thought I would give everyone a little break from thinking... and allow yourself to relax and enjoy this wonderful world :)

Mung Beans

I realize from my last post, that some of you may be wondering what "mung beans" are. These are beans that I had never heard of till recently. During the past couple of months I have been learning more about food and the health benefits that they are towards our body. This has been really good for me considering my past fears towards food. With this knowledge I have been introducing a variety of new foods into my diet. I am going to post about 2 of my new favorite ones: Mung and Adzuki beans. I got some of this information from the internet and from the book "Healing With Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford

MUNG BEANS are a sweet flavor that is one of the most important beans therapeutically. It detoxifies the body; beneficial to the liver and gallbladder, a diuretic, reduces swelling, Used as a cure for food poisoning (drink liquid from mung soup), dysentery (cook with garlic), diarrhea, painful urination, mumps, burns, lead and pesticide poisoning, boils, heat stroke, conjunctivitis, and edema (especially in the lower extremities)

Actions: clears heat, detoxifies, quenches thirst, promotes urination, reduces swelling, aids edema in the lower limbs.

Conditions: edema, conjunctivitis, diabetes, dysentery, "summer heat" problems, heatstroke, dehydration, food poisoning from spoiled food.

Techniques for Cooking: soak beans overnight or 12 hours in 4 parts water to 1 part bean. Discard the soaking water. Cook 1 cup dried beans to 3-4 cups water for 1 hour.

Nutrition:

100 grams (about a 1/2 cup), cooked

Calories	105
Total Fat (g)	0
Cholesterol (mg)	0
Sodium (mg)	238
Total Carbohydrates (g)	19
Dietary Fiber (g)	8
Folate (mcg)	159 (39%)
Magnesium (mg)	48 (12%)
Potassium (mg)	266 (11%)

Aduki Beans

ADUKI BEANS (aka: Adzuki or adukis beans)

WHAT THEY ARE Aduki beans are small, reddish-brown beans with a white ridge along one edge. Cooked, they have a sweet, nutty flavor. They originated in China but are also popular in Japan.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE Adukis are one of the highest protein and lowest fat varieties of bean. They contain high levels of potassium and fiber, as well as B vitamins such as thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin, and minerals such as iron, zinc, and manganese.

HEALING CLAIMS Aduki beans promote regular bowel movements, are a good source of energy, and help lower cholesterol. They may have a role in preventing breast cancer.

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE CLAIMS According to traditional Chinese medicine, aduki beans benefit bladder and reproductive functions and the kidneys, and are therefore used to treat problems such as urinary dysfunction and bladder infections. And because ancient Chinese folk wisdom says that the kidneys govern the emotion of fear, the aduki bean is considered a source of courage that helps people meet challenges bravely. They also detoxify the body, remove heat conditions, disperse stagnant blood, reduces swelling, a diuretic and drying, Used for damp and watery conditions: laukorrhea, jaundice, ascites, diarrhea, edema, boils, and to promote weight loss.

"Aduki juice" is prepared by simmering one cup of beans in five cups of water for an hour (remove juice and continue cooking the beans). Take 1/2 cup of juice 1/2 hour before meals as a remedy for nephritis and most other kidney complaints. Regular use of the juice with meals increases mother's milk.

HOW THEY WORK Aduki beans are rich in soluble fiber, which speeds up the elimination of waste from the body, promoting regular bowel movements and preventing the body from absorbing harmful substances. Soluble fiber has also been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) in the blood.

Some experts credit the presence of phytoestrogens in aduki beans with helping to prevent breast cancer. These weak estrogens block receptor sites that would otherwise be filled by stronger estrogens. In women, the phytoestrogens fool the body into believing it is still producing real estrogen, says Erika Schwartz, M.D., co-author of Natural Energy (G P Putnam's Sons, 1999).

EVIDENCE A study published in the Journal of Lipid Research in June 1997 showed that eating legumes appears to lower bad forms of cholesterol. Proof of the aduki bean's other health benefits come from centuries of anecdotes. Wendy Esko, a macrobiotic cooking instructor and counselor at the Kushi Institute in Becket, Mass., says the beans have a diuretic effect and strengthen the kidneys.

"We recommend them because kidneys are the organs that take the most abuse, flushing out toxins," she says. Esko has also eaten them to help clear up bladder and kidney infections. "They were gone in three days," she says.

TYPES There are two kinds of aduki beans. Hokkaido beans are round, shiny, and deep maroon in color. They are grown in volcanic soil on the northernmost island of Japan. Basic aduki beans, grown in the midwestern United States as well as in Asia, are slightly smaller, lighter in color, and not as sweet.

HOW TO BUY, STORE, AND SERVE Aduki beans are available in natural food stores and Asian markets. They may also be called adzuki or azuki beans. They can be purchased dry, in cans, or in powder form. Stored in a dry container, the beans will keep for six to 12 months. Aduki beans are used to make tea, soup, and confectionery pastes.

TECHNIQUE FOR COOKING Soak legumes for 12 hours or overnight in four parts water to one part legume. Discard the soaking water. Simmer 1 cup of dried Aduki beans to 2-3 cups of water for 1 1/2 hours.

Nutrient Profile

ONE CUP of cooked aduki beans has as much iron as 4 ounces of lean steak, more folate than a cup of cooked spinach, and about as much protein as 4 tablespoons of peanut butter.

CALORIES 294
PROTEIN 17 G
FAT 0 G
FIBER 12 G
IRON 4.6 MG
POTASSIUM 1,224 MG
ZINC 4 MG
VITAMIN [B.sub.1] (THIAMIN) .26 MG
FOLATE 278 MCG

Update - birthday, Payson, DDD/DES, carrots

As I am currently going on Day 3 of living with a broken water heater, overcoming a complicated week and coming down with another cold Saturday night, I decided that this gives me a great opportunity to catch up on my blog.

As I have been sipping hot lemon drink, savoring comforting mung beans, and homemade chicken and rice soup, I have been able to think of the many blessings that have come to my life despite my thinking that life has been in chaos.

This week has been a difficult week for me to experience for some reason. Friday with the water heater breaking and other things occuring, I decided that I needed a day off. I was blessed with all my clients being able to switch their session times from Friday to Saturday. After getting in a warm shower at my parent's home, I drove up to Payson area (about an hour away). I realized how much I miss being in the mountains and just away from city life. It was the break I needed - to just take a break, listen to old, fun traveling music (Backstreet Boys are still the great!), and being amongst trees and mountains. I had told my friend I was going up there and they told me that I wouldn't be able to see any snow. There is something amazing about just driving without a specific destination. Sometimes you go where you don't realize you are going, but it's good to go. Not realizing I missed my last destination (town was smaller than I remembered), I was able to drive where there was snow on the sides. It was so beautiful!... ok this picture doesn't have much snow, but it was the only place I could pull off to take the picture. There were some areas with a lot more snow on the sides... but then this is Arizona...
Friday night I received a call from my Supervisor who told me that DDD/DES was court-orderd that they are not allowed to make the cuts that they did in March. It was good to heart that my paycheck won't get cut 55%. Thank you to everyone who wrote, called and allowed themselves to be educated on what has been going on with the government and those dealing with developmental disabilities.

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 30th Birthday! It was a really nice day. The day before, my family surprised me with a cake and song:) The first picture of this blog is one that was given to me of that night. It looks like the cake is just fire... it's way cool!

I didn't really do much for my birthday, but it was nice to keep it simple. That is what I was needing at that time. My sister sent me a list of all the free things you can do on your birthday. It would have been fun to take the day off work and just do free things, but that wasn't an option. I did discover a new favorite restaurant "Jim's FarmGrill." It's in Gilbert. They grow their own organic vegetables/fruits and the prices are reasonable. If you go there on your birthday they give you $10 off your meal.
I have also discovered a new snack I make regularly. I place carrots and broccoli in a glass dish. I pour a bit of lemon juice and garlic on top and then cook it in the over for about 30 minutes. It's been the perfect pick me up snack during work. I tried to take a picture of it, but it didn't turn out the way I was hoping...