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Susan M. Brooks, PhD

Health Educator

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Just Published: Susan’s Cookbook!

December 5, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

Susan’s brand new cookbook, Cooking with Grace: 100+ Recipes for Vibrant Living, is now available to purchase. Buy now!

Filed Under: Home Page Featured

Holiday Chai Latte

December 4, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

Holiday Chai Latte

One of my favorite cold weather brews, for celebrating special occasions, or just because…Enjoy its enticing morning aroma while simmering!

ingredients

4 cups water

2 whole star anise pieces

5 crushed green cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

½ tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1 TB finely diced ginger root

1 TB finely diced turmeric root

2 tsp of matcha (or 4 green or black tea bags)

1 cup milk of your choice, including non-dairy options ie – coconut, cashew, almond , rice, hemp milk

liquid stevia to taste (or local raw organic honey or Vermont maple syrup)

preparation

Bring water, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, ginger and turmeric root to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add matcha (or green or black tea bags). Simmer gently  for 3 more minutes. Strain  and pour into 2 mugs. Stir in ½ cup of warmed milk in each. Sweeten to taste. For a special treat, add your chai to a blender (I use a Magic Bullet) and froth.

Filed Under: Blog, Quick Cuisine

Pumpkin Pudding Pie

December 4, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

I’ve made this dessert more than any other. Simple, Delicious. Perfect every time. My daughter had the idea of putting the pumpkin pudding into a pie crust – hence the recipe name.  You can make your own crust or I often buy a gluten-free one from the frozen food section of my favorite  local market Lucky’s. https://www.luckysmarket.com.

I like to cook a small sugar pumpkin for about an hour at 350º.  Organic canned organic pumpkin also makes a great pie.

Pumpkin Pudding Pie

ingredients

3 cups pumpkin puree (organic canned or fresh)

1/3 cup honey or coconut nectar

1  1/2 TB molasses

1/2 tsp powdered cloves

1  1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp salt

4-5 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups scalded skim, whole, or goat’s milk, rice milk, coconut, almond, hemp milk etc.

5 tsp cinnamon

preparation

Mix in order given. Pour into buttered or oiled  baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes @ 450 degrees. Then bake @350 degrees until set for another 30 minutes or so. Let cool for an hour or more.

adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook

 

Filed Under: Blog, Quick Cuisine

Fun with Fall Foods

September 6, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

My fascination and passion for food began at an early age.  At age 6, I insisted on making a pie all by myself. My mother let me loose in the kitchen with a bag of flour, a can of cherry pie filling, a mixing bowl, and a pie plate. I enthusiastically made a paste with the flour and water,  iced the bottom of the pie plate with it, dumped the pie filling in, and layered the paper maché type glue on top. As my mother recalled, I baked the pie for several hours, as it would not brown.  I then proudly presented  it to my beloved neighbor, Mr Burchenal, who had to break into it with a hammer. He took a spoonful of the filling, smiled broadly, and pronounced it was  delicious. Thus  began the joy of creative cooking and sharing with others.

Lucky for you, I have revised the pie recipe, and have another fall dessert to share that I’ve made several of the past few weeks, especially with our abundance of peaches and apples in our orchard. 

Apple Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

Filling

2 cups of chopped peaches or nectarines

2 cups of blueberries or blackberries

1/2 cup finely chopped dates

2 TB lemon juice

2 TB arrowroot powder

Topping

1/2 cup gluten free  (GF) oats

1/2 cup almond flour, coconut flour, (I like to use Birch Benders GF pancakes and waffle mix) https://birchbenders.com/products/gluten-free

1/2 cups chopped nuts of your choice (pecans or walnuts)

6 TB coconut palm sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup coconut oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine filling ingredients filling in mixing bowl.

Combine topping ingredients in separate bowl. When fully blended, scatter evenly place on top  of filling so that the filling is fully covered with the topping.

Bake 35 minutes.  Cool 10 minutes and serve!  YUM!

Filed Under: Blog, Quick Cuisine

Sleep

March 30, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

What a better place to write about sleep than on vacation at the beach? Typically, sleep is the most elusive of my lifestyle habits, not because I am a poor sleeper, but because I relish the quiet time at night and early morning, and enjoy immersing myself in medical research, reading, or even cooking an experimental concoction during the late night hours. I have set-up challenges and deals with enticing rewards, if I get to bed by 10 p.m. each night for say 2 weeks in a row. I can often make it for several days or even a week (at the outside), and then I’ll relapse. Or, I’ll get to bed early, and then wake up at 4 a.m.! I’ve convinced myself that maybe I am just one of those who constitutionally requires less sleep. This theory, however, is quickly debunked when I get to the beach, where I go to bed early, and can easily sleep 9-10 hours without wakening. And, I feel 10 years younger when I do…… [Read more…] about Sleep

Filed Under: Uncategorized

2019 Oh Be Joyful II – Self-Care Retreat in Baja

February 25, 2017 By Susan M. Brooks

Relax, restore, and rejuvenate in an intimate, revitalizing retreat at a luxurious Baja eco-resort.

Filed Under: Home Page Featured, Home Featured One

Jin Shin Jyutsu®

March 14, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

Let’s work together to experience this gentle-touch Japanese energy medicine and receive customized self-care practices.

 

Filed Under: Home Page Featured

Jin Shin Jyutsu® Plus

March 14, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

Jin Shin Jyutsu, nutrition and lifestyle – a more comprehensive approach for issues affecting health and well-being.

Filed Under: Home Page Featured

Susan’s Apothecary

March 14, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

Access to hand-picked, favorite, high-quality supplements for enhancing health and promoting vibrant aging.

Filed Under: Home Page Featured

Transition Into Spring

March 6, 2018 By Susan M. Brooks

Blustery Boulder winds are ushering in beautiful warming spring days, replete with apple buds swelling, crocuses up, and daffodils on the cusp of blooming. As an enthusiastic but impatient gardener, I’ve often planted bulbs in too shallow holes, resulting in their shooting prematurely up to the surface during the winter months.

Similarly, we humans tend to transition too quickly from the cold of winter into springtime. [Read more…] about Transition Into Spring

Filed Under: Blog, Vibrant Living

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Susan’s new cookbook now available!

Cooking with Grace is a treasure trove of everyday, simple and delicious recipes. 130 pages of healthful recipes, without gluten or refined sugar.

Cost: $30 – makes a great gift. Buy now!

Free JSJ Yoga Class

Saturday, June 29, 4:30-6:00 pm at Kelly’s Barn

Join me for a free class, combining Jin Shin Jyutsu® (JSJ) with Restorative JSJ Yoga. Learn more …

Self-Care Retreat in Baja

December 8-13, 2019 • Prana Del Mar resort in Baja Relax, restore, and rejuvenate in an intimate, revitalizing retreat with deeply restorative Jin Shin Jyutsu and yoga. More …

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From Susan’s Blog

Holiday Chai Latte

Holiday Chai Latte One of my favorite cold weather brews, for celebrating special occasions, or just because…Enjoy its enticing morning aroma while simmering! ingredients 4 cups water 2 ...

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