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October 2008

Stuffed whole Pumpkin

Wash and scrub the skin of a Japanese round pumpkin.  Slice the top off (to make a lid), about 4cm below the stalk and scrape out all of the seeds.  Put the pumpkin lid back on and  bake at 180 deg for 50 minutes or until flesh is soft.

While pumpkin is baking, cook quantity of brown rice to make 2 cups by absorption method.  While rice is cooking, sauté 1 diced onion, 3 lean rashers of chopped bacon, 1 finely chopped small chilli, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tbspns chopped raw almonds and 1/2 red capsicum, in dash of grape seed oil, until cooked.  When done, cover all over with rocket/spinach leaves to gradually wilt in the remaining heat.

When pumpkin is cooked, remove from oven, then scoop flesh from pumpkin into a bowl, being careful not to break the skin and collapse the shell.

Mix pumpkin, rice and sautéed bacon and vegie mix, plus small bunch of diced parsley, squeeze of lemon juice and splash of honey and restore into pumpkin.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and return to oven at 180 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly brown and the pumpkin mix is hot throughout.

Serve with salad or other baked vegetables for a wonderful meal.

Quote of the month

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

Winston Churchill

Have you seen last month's Brisbane Circle, with my article on "Will the real me please stand up?" It's about gay and lesbian issues.  www.simplysolo.com has a great weekly ezine, so check it out.

Looking for a terrific acupuncturist? Go to

http://www.accessnaturalhealth.com.au

for fantastic acupuncture, moxabustion and shiatsu services by Greg Scanlon.

Give him a call on 3368 3235 and see him at Red Hill.

Dear Reader

I just came back last week from Hobart, and gosh it is a gorgeous part of Australia.  I had no idea it is such a maritime city, or that it snowed on Mt Wellington (my geography really is dreadful..) or that it is a bit like Melbourne with 4 seasons in one day. And did I mention it is cold, cold enough to snow on the mountain above?  And so cold and windy (140 knots) up there that it upsets the electrical locking mechanisms on your car!!  I did say it was cold, didn't I?

I was a visitor there for a week for the national conference of the Australian Psychological Society which had some really interesting sessions.  So, in upcoming months I will draw from that material to keep you informed of things new or unusual. For example, two new books that are fabulous, complete with pictures:

• All Cats have Aspergers

• All Dogs have ADHD

The photos are great, the text is terrific and you really do understand these maladies more clearly.

Until next month, Live Life 2 The Max!  Narelle

Some Tips for Overcoming Depression

Last month, you read some interesting facts about your brain including:

• Left and right hemispheres

• Lobes

• Corpus Callosum

• Neurons

• Neural Network

• Electrical Molecules called Neurotransmitters that contain chemicals to help your brain work

• Uptake and Re-uptake

• (If you can't remember what these are, just click here)

Remember, without those all important neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and GABA) you mind cannot enjoy happy mental health.

So, what can you do to encourage natural production of these chemicals?

1.  Eat regularly and be sure to include high protein food such as meat, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, soybeans and chickpeas

2.  Drink plenty of water - 2 to 3 litre per day for adults

3.  One to two caffeinated drinks (250ml size) per day

4.  5 to 7 serves of vegetables and 2 to 4 fruits per day

5.  Laugh

6.  Run, jump, play, sing, dance, exercise!

7.  Meditate.  When you meditate you reduce your stress elvels.  Want to know the biggest cause of aging.... Yep, stress.  So look younger and feel better too.

8.  Control your thinking - yes, you can guide and advise and discipline yourself.  Novel idea it may be, and you can do it.  Change thoughts from negative images and feel and words to positive words, tone and feel and images.  You'll improve your optimism and happiness.

9.  Be grateful for what you have.  We are so fortunate here that we forget what life is like for those who don't have food, clean water to drink or bathe in, or a toilet to use, or shelter to protect them.

10.  Above all, love yourself first.  This means taking care of you.  Would you let your child get away with what you get away with?  If the answer is NO, then take good care of you and be firm with yourself.

Visit the website for loads of quality information

 Master's Wisdom!

"Look at me, look at me, 

I'm so handsome!"

[Could this mean you can acknowledge and validate yourself?  YES!]