Elizabeth Yarnell, Author, Innovator, Naturopath, Speaker
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Trouble Sleeping? Try Lavender.

My 9-year old daughter has a history of being scared at night. We’ve tried leaving the door to her room open, night lights, sound machines playing soothing ocean waves. The best thing we’ve found to work is the scent of lavender.

The Healing Garden Lavender Body Mist

I love this little lavender spray from Healing Gardens. I just give her pillow a spritz and she sinks off to dreamland.

A lavender sachet underneath her pillow would work, too.

Be sure to only use real lavender or lavender essential oil, and steer away from commercial perfumes that are made from chemicals instead of plants.

Is Oven Temperature Important to Glorious One-Pot Meals?

Reader question: We tried our first one pot meal and it didn’t turn out so well.  I bought a 6.5 qt cast iron pot because we often cook for 6.  We made our first meal for four (chicken Cacciatore) and used the recipe adjustment chart to determine cook time (53 minutes).  The orzo was stuck together like glue and the chicken was overcooked as well as the vegies.  What did we do wrong? ~Gail W., Sedona, AZGlorious One-Pot Meals cover

Gail, it sounds like your oven temp is off. Please read this post for more about using an oven thermometer to verify the temperature in your oven is at 450 degrees F before putting your Glorious One-Pot Meal inside.

Also, 53 minutes works perfectly for a 3.5-quart Dutch oven when the recipe is doubled; when you use a 6.5-quart Dutch oven that is not completely full of food  you really need to rely on your nose to tell you when your Glorious One-Pot Meal is ready. Wait for the aroma of a fully-cooked meal to waft from your oven three minutes before you should pull your pot out.

Happy cooking!

We Are What We Eat… Or Are We?

It’s popular to believe there is one single way to eat that is optimum for all humans equally. I don’t know about you, but I believe there is a fundamental flaw in any one-size-fits-all theory when it comes to health.

Here’s a humorous take on diet trends to kick off your weekend:

“Beating on Wheat and Raining on Grains: What’s REALLY Making Us Fat and Stupid,” by David L. Katz, MD, MPH, Director Yale University Prevention Research Center.

Avoid Many Food-Based Pathogens and Wash Produce Before Cutting

It’s worth the reminder: always wash every fruit or vegetable before slicing into it. This goes for produce with inedible peels, too, including avocados, grapefruit, melons, and squash.

Why does it matter if you wash a fruit or vegetable if you’re not going to eat the rind or peel or skin anyway?

Because, foodborne pathogens like listeria don’t live inside the undamaged piece of produce; they travel from the skin to the fruit on the knife blade as it pierces the outside. Now the flesh of the fruit or vegetable is contaminated, and the eater could get sick.

If that produce is conventionally grown, that knife blade could carry toxic pesticide residue onto your food as well.

Even organically grown produce picks up dirt and grime on its way from the field to your kitchen and should be cleaned before slicing.

I always use a veggie wash to help break down and remove dirt, pesticides, and pathogens from all fruits and veggies before cutting, cooking, or serving. It’s a good habit to get into.

Glorious One-Pot Meals Ingredient Sizes

Reader question: I’m curious about thickness of carrots when you say to “slice in coins.” also, i have large dutch oven and want to experiment b4 i buy small one. will recipe fail if there is room above food? i’m really excited to start trying recipes!!!!!!! will buy book if i love the method. ~ Sarah M., Almaden, CA

Hi Sarah – Thanks for writing! One of the fantastic things about the Glorious One-Pot Meals infusion cooking method is that it really doesn’t matter if you cut your carrots into thicker or thinner slices; they will all cook up perfectly in the same amount of time. In fact, you don’t really have to follow any of the cutting suggestions I include in my recipes; you could cut your carrots into sticks, if you wanted to. They would still cook up perfectly.

In general, the smaller the pieces of vegetables, the softer they will become in your meal. Personally, I like to have variety in my meals and purposefully cut my vegetables into different sizes to avoid monotony. In your own home, you can make your own Glorious One-Pot Meals the way that you like them using your preferred ingredients cut the way you want to cut them.

As for making recipes meant for two people in larger Dutch ovens, it will absolutely work. Here are some tips for success when using different sized Dutch ovens for Glorious One-Pot Meals.

Happy cooking!

Elizabeth

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