Heart Healthy Valentine's Day Meals

by Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.

It has been said "the way to a loved one's heart is through their stomach". This Valentine's Day I've gathered some heart healthy foods to romance your loved one/s with and at the same time show them just how much you care.

Breakfast in Bed

Granola, Oatmeal with Red Goji Berries

1 cup rolled oats
ground cinnamon to taste
3 tablespoons raisins
1/2 cup skim milk or soy milk
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/2 cup goji berries
1/2 cup granola

1. Place the oats, cinnamon and raisins in a pan on the stove.
2. Add the water and warm and stir to a rolling boil.
3. Stir in the berries and granola when ready to serve.
4. Add berries and nuts

Strawberries Side Car

8-10 Strawberries
2 sprigs of mint

1. Cut and clean berries and stack them in a fruit dish
2. Garnish with mint
3. Add dollop of yogurt or light whipped cream on top

Juicy Valentine's Squeeze

3 oranges
1 lime
8-10 raspberries

1. Peel the oranges, wash raspberries and cut the lime in half.
2. Toss oranges and raspberries into a blender or juicer.
3. Pour into juice glass, with a squeeze of lime.

Chocolate Turtles

8 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon oil (canola, sunflower, safflower)
2 cups walnuts or almonds

1. Line baking sheet with waxed paper.
2. Melt chocolates and oil in top of double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring frequently, until smooth.
3. Add nuts and mix until coated
4. Drop by small tablespoons onto waxed paper.
5. Chill in refrigerator until firm.
6. Serve directly from refrigerator

Dinner for Two

Seasoned Crusted Salmon

4 salmon filets (4-6 oz. each)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped pecans
1 teaspoon parsley
Wedges of fresh lemon

1. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on baking sheet.
2. Combine mustard and honey, brush on top of salmon.
3. Mix topping of breadcrumbs, nuts, and parsley and sprinkle over salmon.
4. Bake at 400 degrees 10-15 minutes or until flaky. Serve with wedges of fresh lemon.

Vegetable Love Medley

2 tablespoons water
1 cut thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup thinly sliced yellow squash
1 small carrot thinly sliced
1/2 medium green pepper, cut into strips
1 celery stalk cut into 2-inch strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dillweed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium tomato, cut into 8 wedges

1. Heat water in large fry pan. Add zucchini, squash, green pepper, celery and onion.
2. Cover and cook over moderate heat until vegetables are tender- crisp, about 3 minutes.
3. Sprinkle seasoning over vegetables. Top with tomato wedges.
4. Cover and cook over low heat until tomato wedges are just heated, about 2 minutes.
5. Serve

Pomegranate Parfait

1 sliced pomegranate
1/2 cup fresh fruit (think red or black berries)
1/2 cup low-fat or regular yogurt (flavor of your choice)
1/8 cup low-fat granola

Layer the different ingredients in a parfait glass and repeat layers.

The Psychological Aspects of Rose

by Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.

I am often drawn to the psychological aspects of any healing modality and essential oils are no different. Roses represent Love, Trust and Self-Acceptence. Originally from Asia, there are some 250 species with over 10,000 hybrid varieties. Only three can be distilled for their aromatic perfume. Rosa Gallica (French Rose), Rosa Damascena (Damask Rose) and Rosa Centifolia (Cabbage Rose). It is the Bulgarian Damask Rose that gives the finest quality of distilled essence or "Otto".

Since it takes about 120 lbs or 60,000 roses to be distilled down to 1 ounce of Rose Otto, it is reasonable to see why it is such an expensive essential oil. Rose Absolute, created by using a solvant in the process of distillation, allows for this oil to be significantly less expensive and is used by the perfume industry. Often blended in a base of jojoba or sunflower oil, Rose Absolute is what is often sold by most essential oil companies.

A gentle Heart tonifier, Rose's psychological properties play mostly upon it effects on the mind. The mind, which is the center of our emotional being, extends it's energy to the heart. Rose oil calms, nourishes and supports the heart and helps restore a sense of well being. Rose oil can be very beneficial in helping with anxiety, palpitations and insomnia. The compassion of the Rose is seen through it's ability to heal emotional wounds. When loss, rejection or sorrow has injured our capacity for nurturing and self love, Rose oil brings a sweet and gentle comfort, binding the "heart strings" from the Heart to the Mind. In cases of a broken heart, injured from abuse or hurt, Rose oil can reach deep to warm the soul again and touch the deepest despair, restoring the trust that makes it possible to love again.

In Traditional Chinese Herbology, Mei Gui Hua (Flos Rosae Rugosae) is looked at in a beautifully poetic manor. Rose buds regulate the Qi Energy and harmonize the connection between the Spleen and Liver, soothing distention, pain, fullness and indigestion. Roses are also utilized in a tea for mildly moving Qi related to Menstrual Disorders. The Heart which is Yin, is paired with it Yang channel, the Small Intestines. It is stated that when emotional problems of the Heart take over and become excess in nature, we tend to see Urinary tract infections in the lower portion of the body. Roses were called the "Queen of Flowers" by the Greek poet Sappho. The exquisite fragrance, sweet aroma, blushing colors and considerably therapeutic effects, ensures its special place in the perfumery and medicinal Materia Aromatica that is no less revered today!

Rose:
Botanical name: rosa damascena
Use: fights infection, reduces inflammation, relieves muscle spasms.
Increases urination, bowel movement, regulates menstruation. Calms
nerves, decreases depression, stimulates sexual desire.
Perfume Note: Base
Blends well with: Jasmine, Fennel, Vetiver, Geranium, Clary Sage
Source: flowers
Production method: steam distillation
Aromatherapy benefits: relaxing, soothing, sensual
Aroma type: sweet, floral
Safety Information: nontoxic, non irritant.

Romance Tips: Creative Gifts

excerpt from What's Your Heart Telling You? Finding Love and Romance - The Workbook and Journal

Our website readers, clients, patients and friends have all chimed in wanting to be apart of this Love Manual and workbook so I have given them a chance and have compiled an interesting list of gifts to romance with!

Make your love a gift from scratch; it is more meaningful and personal. - Submitted by Mark

Keep a scrapbook of memories (pictures, bus/plane tickets from when you visited your love, pressed flowers, etc.). Once it is full you can give it to your love. - Submitted by Lisa Wilson

For my boyfriend's birthday I went out and bought a ton of marbles, all different sizes, and sat down with a fine (FINE, FINE, FINE) permanent marker and wrote things on them. I wrote the day we meet, the funny sayings we have, I love you, our names, our silly nicknames, etc. He will look at them from time to time and he said that it really meant a lot to him to have me spend so much time on such small details for a gift. - Submitted by Jenny

Surprise her with an ankle bracelet. Sit her down, rub her feet, tell her you appreciate her, then put the bracelet on her ankle. - Submitted by Butch Pendleton

This year for Valentine's Day I'm writing a fairy tale based on our relationship. I'm going to draw pictures and make it into a book by attaching all of the pages with ribbon. - Submitted by Andrea

Last year I received the most romantic gift from my boyfriend. It was a sculpted heart that he ordered from the web site - a big red heart with his love message inside. - Submitted by Dana

Buy your sweetheart a teddy bear and leave it on their bed with a little note saying: "You can hug me when _____ (write your name here) isn't here." My boyfriend did this for me and I cuddle up to my bear every night, in fact I can't sleep without it! - Submitted by S. Kregs

My boyfriend bought me the cutest stuffed animal and put it in the driver's seat of my car with the seatbelt strapped around it. - Submitted by Princess Angel

For our anniversary, I made my boyfriend a book. I got a 1 inch, 3 ring binder (a photo album could also work) and I got clear plastic folders to stick in the binder. On 100 pieces of computer paper I wrote reasons why I love him. I had 100 reasons in all and on each page were a different reason and a picture of us. I decorated the front with stickers and little pictures of me. He loved it and looks at it all the time. Another idea is to put on the back of the pages quotes or song lyrics that fit your relationship. - Submitted by Jessica

Make ten envelops with different things written on the outside (like "When You Miss Me" or "When You're Sad") and put something appropriate in each one. Then give them all at once to your boyfriend and make him wait until he's feeling those certain ways to open them. It's pretty funny to watch them get impatient! - Submitted by Sarah Anne

Make your own massage oil. Buy some sweet almond oil at the grocery store, and some of your favorite essential oils (recipes all over the internet). Mix them together and pour into a nifty little 4 oz bottle (preferably colored glass) and give your sweetie a homemade, edible massage. The effort will truly be appreciated! - Submitted by Jennifer Hauserman

A special friend of mine gave me a gift one Christmas that I will always remember. In the box was a velvet bag containing a beautiful wooden hand mirror. With the mirror was a note saying, "I wanted to give you the most beautiful thing in the world for Christmas. I looked and looked, but could not find anything more beautiful than you." Talk about heart melting romance! - Submitted by Britt

My wife and I have been married for three years. Every year I have followed the tradition of: 1 year = paper, 2 years = cotton, 3 years = leather, and so on. On our first anniversary I got her airplane tickets (paper) to a quiet beach in Florida. She had no clue we were going. At 7:00 in the morning on a Saturday I woke her up and gave her an anniversary card and in it was her gift. As you can imagine she was in shock, crying, and jumping up and down with joy. We only went for two days, but it was nice. For our second anniversary I did something a little more difficult. I got her cotton underwear. But I had to do more then give it to her in a gift box. So, I bought 8 blank cards and in each card I wrote a clue or a riddle or a puzzle for her. They all lead her to a store or a business in our town. The hard part was getting people in the store to play along. When she arrived at the store the person working had to give her the next clue. I also had a little gift waiting at each store (for example, a CD at the music store). She loved it! - Submitted by Matt C.

You know the saying: "If it is carved in stone it must be true". Find a stone and carve a little message in it such as: "I Love You Andrea" or "I love You Bob", and then give it to your honey. - Submitted by Brian Stettler

My boyfriend had to go across the country to a speech competition, so I decided to make him a care package. I got a small box and put in a luv pop for him when "he needs a little loving", a penny "for good luck", a paper star I made because "no matter how he does, he'll always be my shining star", a stone with "love" on it so he will be reminded that he's loved, a picture of us together, a phone card, and a love letter for each day that he's gone. I sprayed the box with my perfume, taped it shut, and made him promise he wouldn't open it until he was on the plane. He loved it! - Submitted by Emily

For my boyfriend's birthday my friends and I blew up a bunch of balloons and I wrote something that I liked about him on each balloon. At 5:00 in the morning on the day of his birthday I put the balloons in the back seat of his car with his presents on the front! He loved it and said that no one has ever done anything that nice for him! - Submitted by Kylie

Gather pictures of your wife/girlfriend/boyfriend from the first day you saw them, to the now and make a card using a color copier. (Be sure to use at least one wedding picture if married.) Make sure the card is covered with pics inside and out. Inside the card write: "I'd do it ALL over again!". This would also work with a small photo album. - Submitted by Mr.Romance

Get a shoe box and leave it blank on the outside. Decorate the inside with whatever you want, but don't forget to put a picture of you on the bottom side of the lid so when he opens it she will see your picture. Then in the bottom write a note telling him that this box is full of blown kisses that he can take out and use when ever he feels blue. - Submitted by Shar Czerwonka

Make her a jigsaw puzzle. You will need to get a picture of the two of you enlarged, and a piece of 1/4" wood the same size as the picture. I downloaded a jigsaw puzzle creation program and used it to get a template for the pieces. Trace the pieces on the wood and cut them out on a jigsaw. Then glue the picture on and use a razor to cut the picture to match the pieces. - Submitted by QM