How do you sleep? Do you get 7 - 8 hours? What do you do to get better sleep? Rest is essential, especially if you are active. @Pamela Igwe was talking about Magnesium and its' benefits. One benefit is as a sleep aid. I take it myself to just help me cool out mentally. And she asked the question of me : do you have any recipes? As a matter of fact I do. Magnesium is found in abundance in legumes like chickpeas, dark leafy greens like spinach & parsley, and in dairy products. So I combined all those things into a fresh salad that is very easy to make. And you can even serve it warm/room temp. I'm especially fond of the yogurt dressing. Getting more magnesium in your diet might help you sleep better and/or more soundly. Thoughts? Chickpea salad with Yogurt dressing - 2 (14 ounce) cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained - ½ cup roasted red and/or yellow peppers, chopped - ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives - ⅓ cup sliced cherry tomatoes - Small bunch of parsley, chopped - 3 scallions, chopped - 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced - zest of 1 lemon - 1 cup packed fresh baby spinach, cut into thin ribbons - Salt and pepper, to taste Method 1. In a good-sized bowl, simply combine all the ingredients. 2. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with yogurt dressing (below) CREAMY LEMON YOGURT SALAD DRESSING: - 1/2 cup plain yogurt , preferably Greek - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice - 1 tsp garlic , minced - 1 1/2 tsp sugar - 1/4 tsp black pepper - 1/2 tsp salt Method 1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. OR use a 1 - quart Mason jar - place all ingredients inside, top, and shake. 2. Keeps up to 1 month in the fridge.

Skillet cornbread!

Thanksgiving is just in a few days. And the turkey is usually the central feature. One method I personally love is brining my turkey. It seasons it all the way through and adds other flavors as well. Additionally, brining makes roasted meats moister, which is beneficial for a turkey. Here is my favorite brine recipe, which works equally well with chicken, duck, and even pork. Maple-Coriander Brine 1 cup kosher salt1 ½ cups Grade B maple syrup4 tablespoons red pepper flakes2 tablespoons juniper berries, crushed8 whole cloves¼ cup fresh rosemary, chopped¼ cup fresh thyme, loosely packed12 garlic cloves, crushed4 tablespoons ground coriander 2 tablespoons dried basil8 cups water 8 cups ice Makes one gallon Method 1. place all ingredients except ice into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as the brine boils, stir well to make sure all the salt is dissolved and all the herbs are incorporated. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients steep for 20 – 30 minutes. 2. place your ice in a large bowl with a fine mesh strainer over it. Strain the brine into the ice which will immediately cool it. Discard all the solids and stir the brine to evenly cool. 3. the brine is now ready to be used and can be kept refrigerated for up to three months. Basic brining times: Whole turkey 24-36 hours Turkey breasts, thighs, legs 12-24 hours Chicken breasts 6-12 hours Whole Chicken 12-24 hours Pork tenderloins 6-12 hours Pork loin 12-24 hours *note: if you are not using the brine right away, you do not need to use ice. You may instead make the recipe with the full amount of water and let it cool, then strain it.

Excuse my photo, I was on the go and had to wrap it up and hit the road but here it is. Ingredients you will need 1 can tuna drained 1/2 cup carrot diced 1/2 cup celery diced 1/2 cup apple diced (I used a honey crisp for a bit of tart mixed in and that was a good choice) The sauce - put all ingredients in a bowl and blend together until smooth: 1/2 cup cottage cheese 1/3 cup Greek yogurt 1TBSP Dijon mustard 1TBSP garlic minced Salt and pepper to taste Dill optional Calories 408 Protein 52g Carbs 33g Fat 4g There’s enough substance you can just spoon feed it to yourself but you can opt for crackers if you want (adjust the macros accordingly)

I was coaching a small group of clients a while back and several of them had the same request of me : to come up with something they could add that tastes sweet but wasn't sugar. That was a serious challenge. So, in evaluating that request, I realized that smell was just as important as taste. And half of our food experience is expressed in smell, so making something that smelled sweet was crucial. What sweet smells do I like? Vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, pretty much all the "warm" spices. So the challenge was also to create a powder, not a paste because it should be something easily used to sprinkle onto fruits, yogurt, buttered toast, etc. Vanilla powder was the answer. It had an incredible smell and taste, and was just made from whole vanilla pods. Voila! It all came together. Everyone seems to like it. This spice can also be a tea; infuse 1/2-1 tsp per cup of very hot water. Let steep for 1-2 minutes and enjoy. Perfect Fall Cup. Let me know what you think! Sweet Spice Mix use this spice mix to replace sugar 2 TBS vanilla powder 1 TBS ground cardamom 1 TBS ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground allspice