You won’t get your mouth washed out with soap for saying this word, at least not among those who know that this herb is an effective natural remedy for laryngitis and coughs!
Horehound is ridiculously easy to grow, and will be abundant in your garden in no time. As a tea, fresh or dried horehound relaxes the muscles of the lungs, expectorates mucous, and is great for whooping cough, or any severe cough. But keep in mind that this bitter herb needs a little honey or some peppermint leaves in the mix to help the medicine go down.
Another great way to get the benefits of horehound in the winter is with a cough syrup. Here’s an easy recipe for making your own, and this batch should be enough to last you well through the cold season!
You will need:
*1 ounce organic horehound leaves-fresh or dried
*1 pint of water
*Raw, local honey (about 8 oz)
1. Make an infusion of the herbs by boiling 1 ounce of fresh or dried horehound leaves in about a pint of water for 10 minutes.
2. Strain the herbs using a fine strainer or cheese cloth.
3. Add about twice as much honey as liquid and stir.
4. Pour syrup into a jar. Keep in the refrigerator and take one to two tablespoons as needed to soothe sore throats and coughs!
I’ve been dabbling in a bit of “Paleo” cooking lately. I like the general idea of eating less “filler” foods that slow you down and give you that foggy brain feeling. Being a mom, I already get that about 10 times a day without the help of heavy foods, so I’m interested in this theory of eating more plants, veggies, and meats without the fluff…although I don’t think we will do it exclusively (don’t ask us to give up Italian food and cheese!!).
My second attempt at paleo banana bread was much more successful than the first, and I think the secret is in using BOTH almond meal AND coconut flour. From the reviews I read, it seems that breads with just the coconut flour turned out too dry, and the recipe I used with just almond meal was a bit too mushy and mealy. This time I added a little coconut flour to the mix and it really helped give it more of that traditional bread texture while keeping it moist. This is a straight up, simple recipe. You could go crazy and add nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, or get really healthy and splash a teaspoon or two of flaxseeds and chia seeds….get creative!
You’ll need:
Almond Meal (1 cup)
Coconut Flour (1 heaping tablespoon)
Baking Soda (1/2 tsp)
Baking Powder (1/2 tsp)
Bananas (3 small-medium, ripe, mashed)
Maple Syrup (1 tsp)
Cinnamon (2 tsp)
Pinch of nutmeg
Eggs (2)
Vanilla Extract (1/2 tsp)
Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, then combine. Pour into muffin cups and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until knife is clean and tops are golden. Enjoy them warm with butter!!
A few years ago, just months before he died, Johnny Cash covered the song “Hurt,” by Nine Inch Nails. The meaning of the song is debated. Originally an alleged suicide note, Cash’s version has been named an epitaph to his life, but I believe it is more than that. It’s a gospel song, even if it wasn’t written with that intent, and I’ll attempt to prove that here, or at least argue that the theme heavily alludes to our depravity apart from Christ, the futility worshiping ourselves, and the glory of the Cross and what Christ did for us there.
As the first verse implies, to ignore the hurt and the emptiness we feel, we often turn to crutches. We “try to kill it all away,” but when the drug wears off, or the credit card gets maxed out, or the box of chocolate is empty, or person we trusted lets us down, we “remember everything.” We can’t ultimately hide from our sin and idolatry, and we will always come to the end of ourselves. This pattern, without the hope that is found in the redeeming love of Jesus, leads to death.
The plaintive chorus cries out to “my sweetest friend” (Christ). The speaker offers up his “empire of dirt,” realizing that all he has done, all he has collected, every idol he has served, and every dollar he made, spiritually amounts to nothing (“Everyone I know goes away in the end”).
The final line of the chorus, “I will make you hurt,” alludes to the truth that the depravity of the hearts of all Mankind led our God to sacrifice His Son for us. In his mercy, he gave us eternal life. Jesus willingly went to death on our behalf.
Because of this, our song doesn’t end with our guilt and the meaninglessness of life. Even this song ends with hope of “starting again.”
When God looks at us, he no longer sees the empire of dirt that we are.
He sees His Son, Christ. He sees us as clean.
My prayer is that I would remember the futility of my “empire of dirt” and the things I treasure and cling to for comfort. May I be reminded that “where my treasure is, there my heart will be also” (MAtt 6:21), and pray that God would “create in me a clean heart…and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
“Hurt”
(originally by Nine Inch Nails)
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that’s real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
[Chorus:]
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar’s chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
[Chorus:]
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know goes away
In the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way
O r d i n a r y Pen 