Getting Ready for Spring and Tex Mex Squash Casserole Recipe

I can imagine you are experiencing with me the tumultuous times of spring already. In our minds and hearts perhaps we hoped the first day of spring would have brought fresh flowers and sun shine and instead here in McHenry County we had rain and hail storms! We are in the midst of transition and this is an important time to keep our bodies healthy. When the environment is changing temperatures drastically daily, raining, snowing, hailing etc our bodies can easily be knocked off kilter. 

We talked last week how eating lots of greens in the spring is a great way to cleanse the body. Right now as we are patiently moving through the transition of winter to spring it is also important to keep the spleen nourished. In Chinese Medicine the spleen/stomach system helps the body through seasonal transitions. If the spleen is not functioning at its best it can make it harder to keep the liver cleansed and cause us to get sick more easily. 

Here is what you can do to make it through this time of hope. The warm weather really is right around the corner and it will soon be here to stay! (at least until fall and winter)

Continue to follow the spring diet of lighter, greener foods but also make sure to eat foods that fortify the spleen. The spleen needs bland or full sweet foods like grains (wheat, quinoa, rice), sweet potatoes and squashes. The spleen is especially nourished by yellow and orange foods. See below for an excellent squash casserole that is easy to make and tastes delicious! 

Keep your neck covered when you go out into the wind. Don't make the same mistake I did when I went out for a run on Saturday and didn't bring my scarf. Thank God for acupuncture and herbs that nipped this cold in the bud! Sometimes we want to believe its warmer than it really is outside, but always make sure to dress for the weather. 

This is the squash recipe that I started with: Tex Mex Summer Squash Casserole.

Instead of summer squash I used kabocha squash in keeping with the transitions of the seasons. I also added some mini red peppers and corn salsa to give it a little more color and flavor. It was delicious! If you are more of a carnivore than an herbivore adding a little ground turkey seasoned tex mex style would be a wonderful addition, just keep it more as an accent rather than the bulk of the dish to keep it light. 

Sarah Zender LAc

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)

230 Florence St

Crystal Lake IL 60014

815.893.9825

www.clnap.com