Saturday, October 17, 2020

The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices -- Pre-Order for December!

The key to vibrant health for all generations is in your kitchen . . .

Spice up your baking and cooking with nutrient-dense, flavorful herbs and spices -- many with Mediterranean roots! Nurture and indoor herb garden! Restock your spice cabinet! Enjoy the timeless treasures cherished centuries ago in the new and lively book with dozens of home cures and recipes!

By Cal Orey

INCLUDES 16 PAGES OF COLOR PHOTOS!

The mega-popular Healing Powers series from bestselling nutrition writer Cal Orey continues with its 9th installment, The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices, exploring the many ways fresh herbs in your fridge and dried spices in your kitchen cupboard can provide medicinal powers, home cures, weight loss benefits, beauty treatments, and adventurous flavors and textures to enhance plant-based dishes.


Anise, bay leaf, garlic, parsley, turmeric, and more—for thousands of years, herbs and spices have been praised for preserving and flavoring food, as well as preventing and curing illnesses. The latest research reveals that the seasonings already in your pantry—or easily found fresh in your supermarket or garden—can lower your risk for cancer, heart disease, and obesity. This A-to-Z guide catalogues the most popular and versatile herbs and spices, drawn from the Mediterranean Diet but suitable for any diet plan. You will learn how to harness herbalism to heal your body and mind. Discover how to use nature’s gifts including allspice, chives, fennel, oregano, pepper, tarragon, saffron, and special blends like Herbes de Provence to:
 
*Bring abundant zest to your table while lowering your cholesterol, balancing your blood sugar, and revving up your metabolism—at any age!
 
*Ward off colds and flu, banish a hacking cough, and even ease PMS or menopause woes, by adding tasty plant therapy to your favorite food or drink.
 
*Lessen your anxiety and boost your mood with aromatic natural ingredients found in dried and fresh flavorings.
 
*Soothe aches and pains without harmful side effects—and trigger feel-good endorphins—using sweet and savory garnishes, including edible flowers.
 
*Create in-home spa treatments using the same herbal potions featured at luxury spa resorts.
 
Caraway Breadsticks, anyone? How about Cilantro Lime Slaw, Herbal Greek Bean Soup, or Roasted Paprika Cornish Hens? With over 50 taste-tempting recipes, along with personal stories and fascinating historical anecdotes on medicinal uses dating back to biblical times, The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices is your go-to guide to embracing limitless energy and healthy longevity while feasting on memorable meals full of aroma and deliciousness!
 
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Friday, October 16, 2020

Feng Shui in Your Kitchen for Fall Health, Happiness and Good Fortune!

 By Cal Orey

Here I sit in the cabin trying to muster up the drive to get into fall cleaning.  It’s time for some feng shui moves. Simply put, feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of placement. Its goal is to bring you contentment.

By putting stuff in the right spots in your home – start in the kitchen where the heart of your home is. It may enhance the flow of positive energy and zap negative vibrations. The end result: good health, happiness, and fortune.

Read on--you, too, can enjoy a well-balanced kitchen that feels good from head to toe like I recall enjoying as a little girl...

1. Use Eco-friendly Vinegar and Essential Oil Cleaners. It's time to clean your kitchen from top to bottom with natural stuff. You'll be doing you, yours, and Mother Nature a favor. Using nontoxic vinegar can help you to: lose the ants; clean stainless steel, get rid of dust, and keep fresh flowers longer. By keeping it green it will provide you with better health and energy.

2. Declutter Your Stuff. Ditto. Getting rid of things you don't use will up your energy. It's true. You feel lighter with less kitchen baggage, starting fresh is rejuvenating. I cleaned out both the fridge and freezer. Add a fresh box of baking soda to soak up odors. Then, I tackled the pantry and tossed out olive oil, pasta, rice, soup, gourmet spices (yep, I sadly discovered they don't last forever) and anything else that expired...What's the saying: Out with the old and in with the new.

3. Clean the Stovetop and Oven. This was a chore but it feels right to have the stovetop shine. (My Stepford Wife colors are starting to show.) The inside of the oven is sparkling, too. If you must use toxic oven cleaner, go over it with the natural stuff. Trust me, this is a feel-good must-do before warming up to those cooler days 'n' nights of unforgettable autumn baking and cooking (breads, muffins, casseroles, etc.).

4. Brighten Up with Lighting. During the colder days without sun you'll want to have sunny-type lighting which can up your energy and mood--linked to good health. Go for full spectrum light bulbs. No fall blues or other pesky problems. Speaking of lightening up...

5. Boost Your Mood with Plants. To help wipe out pollutants in your kitchen, fill your space with hardy, happy plants. Your best bet during the fall: philodendrons which can soak up air pollutants. They do well in the Sierras unlike Boston Ferns (which I love).

6. Bring on the Water. Fish aquariums provide positive energy in the dining room, especially with a gentle filter Ever notice Asian restaurants and the calming ambiance of fish?

7. Fish, Fish, Fish. Today, I read that goldfish can bring you good luck and prosperity. In fact, nine is the lucky number. The colors? Gold and one black one. (Go smaller rather than bigger in size = less cleaning.) My kitchen/dining room/study all are connected. So, the fish aquarium is a pleasant, calming treat for all three rooms. Note to self: Add more fish.

8. Bring Out the Fresh Fruit. I've got several plump healthful seasonal fruits on display and ready to eat, such as pears placed in a stainless-steel colander. A full bowl may lead to a full life. Translation: Display pretty bowls with plenty of pretty fruit. Empty bowls with just a few pieces of not so nice fruit not so good. And oranges? Nine is the lucky number I've read...Put 'em in a wooden bowl and on the kitchen or dining room table. (Note: If they're pricey, purchase oranges or apples in a bag. Save the separate, sweet and juicy ones for eating.)

9. Conceal Knives and Scissors. My father gave me a black and white marble knife block, cutting board, and rolling pin. I love it. But the knives are out of sight. Bad vibes, say feng shui folks.

10. Hang Wind Chimes with Crystals. I brought one of mine in from the deck--and put it above the kitchen windows. The one I chose is of a sun with a face. It makes me smile every time I look at Mr. Sunshine. Feng shui gurus recommend hanging chimes in the doorway to the kitchen or over the stove sings good energy.

A bonus tip: A new calendar.  Get one that features inspirational thoughts for 2021--and, of course, the dates of lunar cycles.

-- Cal Orey, M.A. Is an author and journalist. Her books include the Healing Powers Series (Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey, Coffee, Tea, Superfoods, Essential Oils, Herbs and Spices) published by Kensington. (The collection has been featured by the Good Cook Book Club.) Her website is http://www.calorey.com.  BONUS: The Healing Powers of Vinegar ebook is on sale for 1.99

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Thursday, October 15, 2020

Fall into The Healing Powers of TEA--Bestseller Banner Book

 By Cal Orey


August 1 The Healing Powers of Tea 
once again got bestselling banner on amazon!
It's a perfect read for late summer, pre-fall
days... (Amazon, Kindle Edition special!)

On April 29, The Healing Powers of Tea was attracting readers on a variety of online bookseller websites, including amazon, barnes and noble, walmart, kobo, apple, and google.

This book is #6 in the Healing Powers Series... 

Also, the popular, prestigious Fairmont Hotel in Victoria, B.C., Canada will be carrying both The Healing Powers of Tea and The Healing Powers of Honey in their tearoom gift shop. Foreign rights to Estonia! Publisher's Weekly Review! It's a favorite in the Healing Powers Series. 

*The Healing Powers of Superfoods will also soothe you this autumn until  The Healing Powers of Herbs and Spices (pre-order for December!) is released. The only seasonsings book infused with TLC of the Mediterranean herbs and spices for your nose and taste buds and imagination as I whisk you away around the globe!


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Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Cybersale: The Healing Powers of Tea and Honey -- Tea Ebook 1.99 Sale Oct. 14 -- Stay Well!

 By Cal Orey

Did you know wellness in a cup is in your kitchen cupboards? Tea, much like a best friend, is the versatile superfood that can be enjoyed as an amazing constant home cure, an age-fighting treatment, relaxing beauty remedy, household cleaner, and even infused in your favorite dishes--from Strawberry Banana Tea Muffins to Scallops in Black Tea Marinade!

As noted on the back cover of The Healing Powers of Tea: A Complete Guide To Nature's Special Remedy (Citadel Press, Kensington)--
It picks you up and calms you down, warms you and refreshes you. With black, white, green, and herbal varieties, there's a tea for every taste, and now this time-honored superfood is trending as the drink of choice for health-conscious people of all ages and cultures.

Welcome to Tea Land!
This fascinating book boils down the rich history of tea--as well as the ever-expanding list of health and weight loss benefits found in its leaves.  

But this special one-of-a-kind tea book does so much more. It's sweetened with lively up close and very personal home and family to on-the-road stories with twists, turns, and real feelings (bonding with people and pets of all ages with tea as a vehicle) paired with inspiring legends about tea from yesteryear.

Discover how tea is a drink that goes back in history as well as the center for tea parties--stirs the imagination for the young at home and serves up exciting teas and treats in beautiful tea rooms for older people young at heart. (page 19)

Find out exactly how far people, perhaps like you, too, will go to get a cup of tea (a variety of types) no matter where you are or who you're with--man, woman, a group of people or dog--for survival's sake! (page 136)

Get the latest information from tea experts on how the superfood can tackle anxiety and depression during life's ups and downs--and big family losses linked to pain, grief, anger, acceptance, and a comeback to move on. (pages 145) 

Feel thrills and novelty vicariously experiencing adventures in traveling through wilderness up and down the West Coast, Midwest, Deep South, Northeast and Canada and cultural shock in new places but always tea soothing and part of the memory.  Alone with a canine companion, a new love, or in the company of wise elderly women and men--tea is a drink to cherish, a drink that bonds people. (page 77-78)

Stir up over 50 home cures to give yourself more energy, less stress--and feel younger, more happiness, vim and vigor while traveling or at home! (pages 155-156)

After a 3000 mile flight plan, imagine your fantasy-come-true final destination and you can relax with a cuppa tea and sense of adventure in a foreign country after the trials and tribulations in the process of getting there (plane, train, bus, cab, shuttle bus) and feeling homesick but tea helped calm the pain. (pages 191-192)
Enjoy super comforting and tea-licious recipes like Warm Scones with Jam and Assorted Finger Sandwiches. (pages 225-226; Tea Menu, pages 238-272)


And so much more! Enjoy the intriguing and unforgettable tales that reveal feelings of joy, loneliness, love, longing, security and comfort--all tea-inspired in The Healing Powers of Tea--#6 in the Healing Powers series.  

This very special, intimate book is full of new research, new recipes, and new home cures, penned from the tea-loving author's heart and soul pairs well with the upcoming gift size mass market The Healing Powers of Honey, Feb. 27!  Also, The Healing Powers of Tea is the perfect companion with The Healing Powers of Coffee and The Healing Powers of Chocolate. The collection is available at fine bookstores (on and offline) and ready for you  now.
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Monday, October 12, 2020

Nature’s Chocolate to Feel Good -- 1.99 Ebook Special Oct. 12

By Cal Orey

October is going to be a stressful month with taxes, the election, an unpredictable virus, and Mercury Retrograde mid-month. But, you can find a sweet way to keep your cool by turning to a forbidden superfood. Chocolate! Yes, chocolate. How? How exactly does chocolate help you stay healthy and feel good?

A healthful diet and lifestyle are part of the arsenal to beat the battle of the bulge, which often may be linked sooner than later to heart disease--still America's number one killer for both men and women, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
            In a cocoa bean shell, chocolate is made from the cocoa plant, which means it contains many of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. These good-for-you perks stem from flavonoids, which act as mighty antioxidants. We know antioxidants protect the body from bad-for-you free radicals (imagine little Pac-Men wearing T shirts with the words "Antioxidant Fighter") and gobble these harmful culprits in your body, lowering the risk of damage that can lead to heart disease.
            Heart-healthy chocolate has also been shown to lower blood pressure, and regulate cholesterol by reducing the bad kind (LDL) while maintaining the good kind (HDL)--two culprits for boomers and elderly folk. Caveat: Start slow working your way up to the dark stuff. Try 48% to 50% to 60% cacao content infused with spices, fruits, and nuts. You can do this the easy way! Yeah, 70% is good but it takes a sophisticated palate and it is an acquired taste.
  
The Surprising Secrets To Savor: Chocolate Keeps The Doctor Away

Disease           How Chocolate Works
Obesity:          Monounsaturated fats in dark chocolate satisfy your hunger and chocolate tends to a sweet tooth, so overindulgence in food and calories is not a problem.
Heart Disease: Antioxidants in dark chocolate help to lower the risk of heart disease of all kinds.
Diabetes:        Dark chocolate may cut the amount of "bad" LDL cholesterol in the blood, which may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Longevity:      Dark chocolate in moderation lowers the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes--all diseases that can shorten lifespan.
  
5 Chocolate's Compounds, Mood Enhancers

Here, take a quick look how you can get a quick heart-healthy mood booster from some of the most talked about compounds in chocolate. 
Anandamide: Touted as the "bliss chemical," it occurs naturally in the brain and when released to our brain receptors can provide good feelings.
Caffeine:  The ingredient has a stimulating effect on the nervous system. But note, both chocolate and cocoa contain minimal amounts of caffeine. Did you know that there isn't a whole lot of caffeine in any kind of chocolate? A 1-ounce piece of dark chocolate contains 10-20 milligrams of caffeine.
Endorphins:  Dark chocolate, like exercise, help release endorphins, natural painkillers in your body that act on the nervous system to alleviate pain.
PEA: Another brain chemical can increase blood pressure and feelings of excitement and alertness. It also has been called the "love drug" because it can mimic feeling of falling in love.
Serotonin:  This is a brain chemical that can make you feel happier. It is another compound in chocolate that can provide a calming effect. When your serotonin level is low, you may feel down.

The bottom line:  Savor a scoop of dark chocolate gelato.  Munch on a handful of dark chocolate chips in homemade trail mix with nuts and dried fruit. Or make a batch of dark chocolate pumpkin cookies for a pre-Halloween treat. Dump the guilt. A bit of chocolate is good for your mind and body!
(Excerpt from The Healing Powers of Chocolate (Kensington)

-- Cal Orey, M.A. Is an author and journalist. Her books include the Healing Powers Series (Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey, Coffee, Tea, Superfoods, Essential Oils, Herbs and Spices) published by Kensington. (The collection has been featured by the Good Cook Book Club.) Her website is http://www.calorey.com.

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Sunday, October 11, 2020

October Blues, Pacific Northwest and Tea Time

 By Cal Orey


Hotel room with my view to cherish
Oct. 5 with My Skye on Tahoe beach
Last year this time I was in British Columbia enjoying an Indian summer--finishing research for my TEA book. On October 6, my birthday, I savored a luxury hotel suite  with a panoramic view in Seattle. It was bliss but I confess I was homesick. I missed my beloved companions: Skyler and Zen, my Aussie and Siamese boys...
On Thursday this year, I'll be home at Lake Tahoe missing the Alaska trip that didn't happen due to a "hurricane-force" storm. (I almost rebooked to Georgia/Savannah but something stopped me...)
On the upside: the TEA book is done, accepted, and in production. Hopefully a good swim outdoors (the indoor pool is down), hot tub, dog walk to the beach with my sibling--and homemade scones with coffee in the morning will suffice and give me that "endolphin" high. It may not be the Pacific Northwest--but Tahoe, the mountains is my home.


This is the time of year when sweet and spicy edibles enter your oven and warm up your kitchen and spirit. Autumn scones are best made with nature’s finest ingredient: apples. One apple contains 100 calories, heart-healthy fiber, potassium, and other stay healthy nutrients. And, an apple a day means fewer doctors to pay--my kitchen is full of apples--a variety of flavors and textures. So, I baked a batch of good-for-you autumn apple harvest scones to love.
More recipes similar to this one
are in the new 3rd edition
available wherever books are sold
3 cups all purpose flour (more flour more crunchy cookie-type texture, less flour more dense cake-like)
1⁄4 cup organic white or brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
11⁄2 teaspoons cinnamon
1⁄4 cup European style butter (cold cubes)
1 brown egg
1⁄2 cup organic  milk (or try buttermilk or Greek yogurt)
1 teaspoon white vinegar (mixed with milk it provides a poor man's buttermilk)
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup Granny Smith apples, firm, chopped to small chunks (or try dried cranberries, prunes, apricots, or strawberries)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
Raw sugar  (unless you make a glaze)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spice. Add chunks of butter, sliced in small squares. In another bowl, combine milk, vinegar, egg and honey and stir. Combine wet ingredients with dry. Stir until a dough-like mixture forms. Fold in apples, raisins and nuts. I prefer drop scones for their rustic look and easy to do form. Drop large spoonful of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or till golden brown.
For an extra autumn touch drizzle with a maple frosting glaze: Mix approximately 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1/8 cup melted butter, 3 to 4 tablespoons low-fat milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon maple extract. Swirl a spoonful of glaze-like frosting on scones when warm. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Serves 12 medium-large scones.
This treat is fit to warm you up on a cold October day at Lake Tahoe or where you can both see and taste fall. So, what type of beverage goes well with autumn fruit scones? Ah, let me count the drinks of choice. Low-fat milk organic chocolate milk heated up and sprinkled with cinnamon hits the spot. Hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick can’t be beat. Pumpkin spice black tea or calming chamomile brew is fall-ish, too. Add a dog and cat, a crackling fire, cozy up, and tune into your favorite movie.
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Friday, October 9, 2020

A Bit of Honey for Autumn Allergies, Colds, Coughs... Healing Powers of Honey Book 1.99 Today!


By Cal Orey

Hello to honey cures. These are tried-and-true folk remedies based on scientific studies, real-life stories, medical doctors, researchers, and beekeepers.
About a week ago, I had a killer sore throat (due to the poor air quality from the Northern California wildfires). I sipped hot chamomile tea spiked with fresh lemon and honey. Not to forget honey lozenges, too. (I recommend raw honey.) Two days later, and air purifiers 24/7 I survived.
Here, check out this trio of DIY feel-good immune system-boosting, antioxidant-rich raw honey concoctions.  These home remedies may help you to get or stay healthy this season tailored for coughs, sore throats, and insomia which can break down your immune health and let in nasty colds, seasonal flu -- and viruses!


Anise in your tea with honey can help
 halt a cough and soothe a sore throat.
1  COUGH (Outfox irritating hacking):  A cough is an unwelcome visitor and can make you feel terrible. Let's face it, cough medicine can be pricey, doesn't taste good, and may or may not do its job. People are inside more during colder weather so you're exposed to more germs. And if someone is coughing you may be next in line.
What Honey Rx to Use:  A teaspoon of buckwheat honey is recommended before bed. Or you can make syrup of 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. One teaspoon of the medicinal mix should suffice. Repeat as needed.
Why You'll Bee Happy:  Researchers discovered that buckwheat honey at bedtime was more powerful for curing a cough than a cough suppressant found in over-the-counter medications. It is believed that honey will act as a sedative to the nervous system.

2 SORE THROAT (Take the sting away): Hacking is miserable, but a sore throat can drag you down, too, where don't feel like talking. Honey has been used as a home remedy for centuries to help soothe one of the symptoms associated with a common cold--namely, a killer tell-tale sore throat. February is a popular month for colds and flu which can be accompanied by a raspy throat.

What Honey Rx to Use:  For relief of symptoms, sip a cup of anti-inflammatory tea (black, white, green or herbal like chamomile) with honey. Also, try pure honeycomb and honey sticks. Don't forget all-natural honey-lemon lozenges, which also coat the throat for quick relief. (Yes, I did use these, too. Go for the all-natural kind.)
Why You'll Bee Happy: One, honey will coat your sore throat, the symptom of the cause. Two, its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties will help heal the culprit causing your pain.

3 INSOMNIA  (Find sweet dreams): Getting rid of a sore throat is a challenge. But not getting adequate shut-eye during the pain can drain the immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to colds and flu.
What Rx to Use: Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of your favorite honey, especially before going to bed. Try sipping a cup of 2 percent low-fat milk with a dash of cinnamon.
Why You'll Bee Happy:  The tryptophan in milk will help to calm you. Honey, report medical doctors, can calm your nervous system, giving you a relaxing effect on the body and mind.
          So, go ahead and use the type of honey advised or your own preference; all-natural, raw honey, dark varietals are recommended for best results. (Warning: To avoid infant botulism, do not fee honey to an infant.)

Honey Waffles
          Once you’re not feeling under the weather and are on the mend, here’s an easy feel-good recipe to try. 


1 cup cake flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 organic eggs
1 tablespoon honey
European style butter
Confectioner’s sugar
Honey to taste
Fresh fruit
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and spices. In a smaller bowl stir eggs and honey. Pour into dry ingredients. Mix well. Turn on nonstick waffle iron. Pour half batter onto iron. Wait until steam rises. Top with sugar, butter, and drizzle with honey. Add fresh seasonal fruit. Serves 2.
Adapted from The Healing Powers of Honey (Kensington) by Cal Orey.
Cal Orey, M.A. Is an author and journalist. Her books include the Healing Powers Series (Vinegar, Olive Oil, Chocolate, Honey, Coffee, Tea, Superfoods and Essential Oils) published by Kensington. (The collection has been featured by the Good Cook Book Club.) Her website is www.calorey.com .
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