Our own Dr Larsen explains why your health history is so important to us!

Sasha and Stacie Explain Night Guards and DeProgrammers

Meet Ninette!

Election Day 2016

Be proud to vote in this historic election. 

 God bless America!!

Comfort Menu from Total Care Dental

Strengths and Weaknesses in Dentistry

Last week I completely lost my voice. No, I wasn’t sick – it was from too much cheering! The sports programs at my kids’ school play in a small school league. All of the charter, private and other small schools around play each other. It’s become quite competitive and the sports programs have really improved.
Cross Country has been my sons’ sport of choice in the fall the last three years, but they both voted for something that involved less pain this year! One son joined the Pleasant Grove High School Rock climbing team, and the other decided to try his hand at the latest sport our school has added – boys volleyball.

Volleyball = Basketball

It is a funny team – it’s basically all of the basketball players. They are tall, they are athletic..what else do you need? I think one of the players had actually played volleyball before. The first game we asked how they thought they would do, and they had no clue! They had never played anyone but each other.
Well, they did pretty darn well. That first game they played the state champions from the previous year, and barely lost. They continued winning and made it all the way to the state tournament. After two very hard fought games (why I lost my voice!), they were playing in the state championship game – against the team they started out playing at the beginning of the year.
It was interesting, I think this team had come to expect that they would win, and it was their downfall. They quickly got behind in the first set, and weren’t quite sure how to handle it. Our boys won the first set, and in a very anti-climatic ending won the second set and the championship. My voice was gone, but they took home a pretty cool trophy!

Strengths and Weaknesses

This got me thinking about strengths and weaknesses – things that help us win or cause us to lose. Our team’s strength was our athleticism and lack of expectations! Their team’s weakness was big expectations and lack of preparation for someone that may be able to take the title from them. Sometimes knowing your weakness is the biggest part of the battle.
My voice is definitely my current weakness. I can’t make it through church without a hoarse voice some days. I’m doing vigorous research and am trying everything I can think of to make it stronger. I’ll keep working on it and hopefully by the basketball tournament this year I’ll be in good cheering shape.

Dentistry’s weakness

That’s what we are doing in the office as well. There is a big weakness in the modern practice of dentistry. Most of what we battle has to do with bugs. Tooth decay is from bacteria. Abscess teeth are infected with bacteria. Gum disease is bacterial and sometimes fungal. Cold sores are viral. Bugs are our mouth’s enemies. So why have we never been able to figure out how to kill these bugs?
You might be thinking antibiotics are the answer, but that is a band aid at best. If you kill all the bacteria, the other bugs flourish without the competition. Sigh.

Ozone to the rescue

Well, last month I introduced a new soldier in the battle against dental bugs. It’s called Dental Ozone and I’m so excited about it!! I’m going to give you the shortcut version of what Ozone is, then tell you why I’m so excited to have it available for you.
The oxygen we breathe every day is O2 – two molecules of oxygen. Ozone is O3 – three molecules of oxygen. For oxygen, three’s a crowd. Ozone is a very active, unstable gas. It is called an “oxidizer” and is looking for something to give it’s extra molecule to. All of our healthy cells have anti-oxidants in the membrane surrounding them. So ozone can’t do anything to our healthy cells – they can not be oxidized.
Unhealthy cells like bacteria, viruses and fungi don’t have antioxidants in the membrane. The ozone essentially punches a hole in the membrane and destroys the cell. Poof! Bad bugs are dead!

So how is this useful for you? In so many ways!

1. Stops Cavities – Ozone used on a tooth can kill the bacteria in a cavity. So if found early enough, we can use the ozone to stop the cavity, then your saliva carries minerals to the tooth to help it rebuild. This is PERFECT for kids.
2. Used under a filling to help it last a long time – A deeper cavity will require a filling if the cavity has destroyed some of the tooth (you can’t walk around with a large hole in your tooth). But to ensure the filling will last a long time, we use ozone on the tooth under the filling to make sure there are not any bacteria left. Then we will place the filling over top and you have a long-lasting filling with no sensitivity.
3. Desensitize teeth – if you have sensitive teeth, we now have an answer for you. There are microscopic tubes that extend from the outside of the tooth to the nerve. This is why your tooth feels the cold. Ozone kills the bugs in those tubes and plugs them up. So in one or two treatments, your sensitivity is gone.
4. Sterilizes a tooth before a root canal – Root canals are controversial these days. We are finding some of them fail, years later. This failure is because of bugs that are left in those same tiny tubes when a root canal is filled in. Ozone can kill all those bug before the root canal is filled.
5. Cleans a tooth before a sealant – Dental sealants on molars in kids are to prevent cavities on those molars. The problem comes when that sealant is placed over bacteria. If this happens, those bugs are getting sealed in and they will cause a cavity. We use ozone before a sealant to make sure the tooth is completely clean before the sealant is placed.
6. To help cold sores and canker sores heal more quickly – Remember what ozone does to bugs? It’s blows them up! So ozone treatment on cold and canker sores kills the bugs and helps your body heal quicker.
7. Kills bacteria under the gums in gum disease – One of the trickiest place to keep clean is under gums. And if bacteria set up shop, they will destroy your bone and gums surrounding your teeth. Ozone used under the gums can kill bacteria and will help both your and our efforts in your gum health.

So much more! Next time you are in for a visit, please ask us about ozone and how it can help you. We are so excited to be able to tackle one of our weaknesses! Have a great week!
Love,
Dr. Michelle Jorgensen

Sharing is caring!

Dr Larsen Talks "Teeth Whitening"

5 Simple Secrets to Healthy Families

See larger copy below

I feel like I have two full time jobs right now, but I’m having a blast doing it so I can’t really complain! I spent the weekend teaching a variety of classes, and every time I teach I learn so much. I spoke to the parents and teachers at my kid’s school about the 5 Simple Secrets to Raising Healthy Families. Then I hosted an entire day self-reliance meeting at my home on Saturday. I spoke about Life without Refrigeration and Winter Gardening to go along with a host of other phenomenal speakers.

I don’t want to leave you out so I thought I’d share some of what I taught.

 Secret #1: How to be healthy on a budget

• Meat is the side, not the main and not needed every day
• Beans and rice and other grains are great fillers
• Get a rice cooker and fill it at night so it’s ready to start in the morning
• Buy in bulk. Winco, Alpine Food Storage. 5 gallon buckets
• Get fruits and veggies in season – you can find them for free or cheap
• ksl.com, farmer’s markets, neighbors, friends
• Store when there is excess – a used freezer is $50-$100 on ksl.com
• Freeze fruit; can fruit, veggies and meat; dry fruits and veggies

Secret #2: When organic matters and when it doesn’t

The Environmental Working Group publishes a list every year of the most and least contaminated fresh fruits and veggies – I’m talking pesticides and herbicides. They are called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen. If you can’t afford everything organic (and who can?!) choose organic for the things that are on the Dirty Dozen list and get conventional of the other things. But my rule is that a potato – organic or not – is always better (and probably even cheaper) than a bag of potato chips.

Dirty Dozen

1. Strawberries 2. Apples 3. Nectarines 4. Peaches 5. Celery 6. Grapes 7. Cherries 8. Spinach 9. Tomatoes 10. Sweet Bell peppers 11. Cherry tomatoes 12. Cucumbers

Clean Fifteen

1. Avocados 2. Sweet corn 3. Pineapples 4. Cabbage 5. Frozen sweet peas 6. Onions 7. Asparagus 8. Mangoes 9. Papayas 10. Kiwis 11. Eggplant 12. Honeydew melon 13. Grapefruit 14. Cantaloupe 15. Cauliflower

Secret #3: Easy and healthy kid friendly meals

I’ve already talked about this in a previous blog so I’ll shortcut this one

• Crockpot days. Make it at night, put it in the fridge overnight and start in the morning
• Everyone helps, especially in the morning
• Rotate through ethnic recipes – they taste better!
• We bought some giant soup bowls at an Asian market, so all you need for a lot of these meals is that big bowl for each person. Saves on dishes too!

Secret #4: Basic and essential homemade medical remedies

Have you looked at what you’re using now? Unpronounceable ingredients. Useless ingredients for preservation, potentially toxic, etc. You can make your own!
Sea Salt – Mineral replacement for dehydration. ½ t salt, 3 T honey to 1 quart water
Honey – antiseptic to put on wounds, insect bites, burns, sore throats (mixed with a little cayenne) and fatigue.
Apple Cider Vinegar – for yeast infections, warts, acne
Baking soda – Used to neutralize burns and insect bites.
Hydrogen Peroxide – Kills disease organisms by oxidation. Gargle with ½ water, ½ hydrogen peroxide for a sore throat. Good for ear infections and as a mouth wash.
Lavender essential oil – Good for reducing pain, anxiety, and helps digestion. Also great to sooth burns and insect bites.
Magnesium (my favorite is in a powder called Calm) – Helps with sleep and any muscle pain, including headaches. Helps skin problems like acne and eczema.
Oregano essential oil – Very strong anti-microbial. Great for colds and lung infections. Helps with athletes foot, yeast infections and other skin infections.
Vitamin C – powdered form- Will help you stay well during the sick season. Easier for kids to take dissolved in water.

Secret #5: How to avoid sick days all year long

1. Garlic– A powerhouse natural antibiotic, anti-fungal, and antibacterial. As soon as you feel symptoms, finely mince 1-2 cloves of garlic and float in a small glass of water. Drink quickly.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide– For colds, flu, sinus infection, or ear infection, put a dropper full of hydrogen peroxide into each ear. Do this on both sides. Repeat every few hours until infection is gone.
3. Hot Liquids–Load up on the hot herbal teas and hot lemon water at first sign of illness.
4. Cinnamon–Mix 1 T with 1 t honey, stir and add to water to help relieve cough and congestion and lower fever.
5. Remove White Foods– At the first sign of illness, completely remove all white foods from the diet. This includes grains, sugars, milk, cheese, dairy, sweeteners, soda, etc. These foods suppress immune function and slow the body’s healing ability.
6. Hydrate and Rest– If the body is running a fever (which means it is fighting the illness) the best support you can give is to stay well hydrated on water and herbal teas and to rest enough.

See the picture included for my favorite at home remedies for this cold-ish, flu-ish time of year! We have some sniffles at our house so we are pouring on the colloidal silver, the Vitamin C and the Elderberry Syrup.
I think learning about ways to help our families with their health is one of the most empowering things we can do. Don’t let every passing bug or health fad knock you over. You can do this!

Love,
Dr. Michelle Jorgensen

TV Stars in the Making!

On the set of Good Things, Utah!

TV Stars in the making!

In case you missed the announcement, I wanted you to know Dr. Heid and I are now TV stars.  That’s right - we were on TV twice last month!  Green rooms, cameras, going to commercial break - those things are pretty much just part of our vocabulary now!  Or maybe not...

Okay, we’re not stars, but we were able to share some pretty great things on Good Things Utah and on Channel 4 news.  I know you weren’t all able to watch, so I want to fill you in on all the good stuff too.

On Good Things Utah we talked about the soda epidemic in Utah and what it’s doing to teeth.  People (including unnamed team members at the office) have threatened to egg us if we tell them they can’t get their favorite “dirty” soda anymore.  So, we took a different approach.  We shared five ways you can have your soda and do the least damage to your teeth.  It’s the wimpy way out, but we are realists.  If you’re going to drink it, do it the right way.  

5 tricks to drink soda the right way

1. Use a straw - this is one you’ve probably heard of before.  This gets the sugary liquid past your teeth and down the hatch quicker.
2. Swig it - the worst thing to do is sip all day long.  Every time the soda hits your mouth, it lowers the pH.  This makes your mouth more acidic.  This acidity dissolves your teeth.  So if you drink it all at once, it only creates an acid mouth once.  If you sip it all day long you are dissolving your teeth all day long.
3. Don’t brush after!  I know, you want to brush that sugar and acid away, but that’s a very dangerous thing to do.  After the soda, your mouth is acidic and your teeth are soft.  So if you brush soon after drinking soda you may brush your tooth structure away too.  Wait at least 30 minutes after finishing your drink.
4. Rinse your mouth with water after - Rinse out the soda and you will remove some of the acid and sugar.  Warning - water will taste yucky after soda.  Do it anyway!
5. Use a xylitol mint or gum after - Remember that acid mouth?  A mint or gum stimulates your saliva, which  will help get rid of the acid and make your mouth more alkaline.  Make sure you don’t use a sugar containing mint or gum - only xylitol is safe!

One important thing to know is that Energy Drinks and Sports Drink are just as acidic as soda.  In fact, some are worse!  So don’t switch to something that is worse for your teeth.

Another topic on Good Things Utah was Instant Braces  

Have you ever wanted a new smile but don’t want to go through the pain, hassle and years of braces?  Well good news - you don’t have to.  We now offer what we call  “prep-less veneers”.  It’s basically a very thin layer of porcelain that is custom crafted to fit on the front of your tooth.  It is bonded in place, and can change the shape, size and color of your teeth.  This is done in 2 appointments, and start to finish, you can have your new smile in a month.  That is why it’s termed “Instant Braces”.  1 month instead of 2 years.  Pretty amazing isn’t it!  

On Channel 4 news we talked about mercury.  I’m going to cut and paste my mercury info sheet here because it’s something everyone needs to know about - either for himself, spouse or other family members.  

The background on “silver” or “amalgam” fillings

Mercury + Silver = Amalgam

The first mercury dental filling material was made in France in 1816.  A Frenchman mixed mercury with shavings from silver coins.  It formed a soft paste that could easily be packed into a hole in the tooth, and shaped before it turned hard.  This was brought to the US in 1830 and was an instant success.  Until that time, the filling materials available were thin lead sheets, gold, cork, tin, wood chips and pine resin.  This new filling material was far better - it was inexpensive, easy to use, lasted a long time and sealed the tooth fairly well.  It became popular very quickly.

That first filling material was 50% elemental mercury (the liquid shiny stuff in thermometers) and 50% silver.   These fillings are typically called “amalgams” or “silver fillings”, but this is misleading.  50% of those “silver” fillings today and 150 years ago, are mercury.

Mad Hatters

Have you ever heard the term “mad hatter”? Hat makers in the 1800s would use mercury to turn fur into felt, the most common hat making material at that time.  After repeated exposure to this mercury, the hat makers started showing bizarre behavior.   This is where the term “mad hatter” comes from - the mercury quite literally was making them mad!

Toxic Material

That is the background to dental mercury fillings, and they are still being used today in nearly 50% of dental offices in the US.  Science and medicine has since confirmed that mercury is a poison to our system.   Why are dentists still placing these fillings?

Controversy

The safety of mercury fillings continues to be a very controversial subject.  For your information, here are some undisputed facts:

• Mercury is the most neuro-toxic, non-radioactive element on the planet.  It is more neurotoxic than arsenic or lead, and some mercury toxicologists conclude that no amount of human exposure to mercury vapor has been found to be harmless.
• Dental researchers now concede that mercury vapor is released from unstimulated amalgam fillings 24 hours a day.  They do not agree on what this vapor release means for an individual's health.
• Chewing, brushing, temperature increases (hot liquids or foods), professional tooth polishing (if hygienist does not avoid amalgams), and clenching/grinding have been shown to stimulate the emission of mercury vapor.
• The FDA and the American Dental Association promote amalgam fillings as standard of care dentistry.  Dentists who place amalgam fillings do so in good faith, believing in the efficacy, safety, cost-effectiveness, and longevity of amalgams.  
• Sweden, Austria, Denmark, and Norway have all banned amalgam fillings.

So...  Do mercury fillings affect your health?  STUDIES SUPPORT BOTH SIDES OF THE CONTROVERSY.  You must do your own research and decide what is best for you. When existing amalgam fillings are still functioning, it must be your personal choice to have them replaced with other materials, either for health reasons or if you want your teeth to look better. Want an escape hatch?  Let's key in on the phrase above "when mercury fillings are still functioning."

Fix What’s Broken

I've been a mercury free dentist for nearly 20 years.  I made that decision because I don't like what mercury fillings do to your teeth.  If you have a bottle with a metal lid that won't open, what do you do?  Put the lid under hot water, right.  Why do you do that?  Because the metal expands when it gets heated, and the lid is easier to get off.

The same things happen in reverse.  When the metal gets cold it shrinks.  Now imagine a mercury filling in a tooth.  The filling was intentionally formed like an upside down wedge in the tooth - wider at the bottom and narrower at the top.  That was done to help the filling stay in your tooth (there is no "glue" under a mercury filling).   You go to dinner tonight and get a delicious soup to start your meal.  It's so hot you have to blow on each bite.  Your metal fillings are expanding with every bite - pushing outwards on the walls of the tooth it's wedged into.  For dessert, you have apple pie with ice cream on top.  That ice cream hits the stop...and shrinks your fillings.  They now pull away from the walls of the tooth as they shrink toward the middle.

Repeat.  And repeat - every time you eat a meal with hot or cold food.  Eventually the tooth walls will start to crack.  A gap will also start forming around the edges of the filling as the filling expands and shrinks.  Bacteria aren't very big, so they can easily slip into that gap between the tooth and the filling.  Can you brush underneath a filling?  I don't think so!  This leads to new cavities underneath your old mercury filling.

Life span of mercury fillings

How often does this happen?  I have removed thousands of mercury fillings in my career, and I can from experience say that 90% of those old fillings have a new cavity underneath.  And 100% of the teeth have cracks caused by the filling expanding.  Guess what - I don't even need to talk about the health problems that may be associated with your old mercury fillings to recommend they be replaced.  Quite simply, mercury fillings aren’t a permanent fix for a tooth.  They have an average life-span of 8-12 years.  How long have you had your old fillings?

I was a “mercury-free” dentist for many years, and I still am, but after my health scare, I am now also a “mercury-safe” dentist.  There is a difference. The greatest exposure to mercury comes when the old filling is drilled out.  Since most mercury fillings will need to be replaced for functional or health reasons, it is essential you have them removed safely.   Safe procedures can reduce exposure by up to 90%.

Ask for our Mercury-Safe Protocol information if you would like to know what we do to keep you – and all of our team safe - from mercury.

That’s a wrap

Well, like they say in show business, that’s a wrap!  Let us know how we can help with your new Instant Braces Smile, removing mercury fillings, or just supporting you in your dirty soda habit!  Thanks for sticking with us. We love our friends and patients at Total Care Dental!

Love,

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen

Total Care Dental Talks Holistic Dentistry on "Good Things Utah"

Please enjoy this clip from our local news channel, Good Things Utah!  Dr Jorgensen and Dr Heid discuss what soda can do to your teeth, as well as a much less invasive way to get the smile of your dreams! 


Call us for the most enjoyable dental visit you've ever had.

Smile Facelift #7 of 8

This is so fun and interesting! My no-prep veneers have just arrived in a box like a present. They are called "no-prep" because this is a much less invasive process; no drilling your teeth down and removing the tooth structure. When you get veneers, they give you temps first. This way, you can wear them for a week or so and determine if there are any changes that you want to make. I got my temps last video, and they were lovely. However, I ate a taco a little too roughly and broke the top one's off. I regret that I didn't get any pictures of the temps. But my actual, beautiful porcelin permanent teeth just arrived. Check it out! Oh, and watch out for snakes!

Movie Stars in Our Office!

Safe Mercury Filling Removal

            Safe Mercury Filling Removal

Dr Jorgensen and Dr Heid are going to be movie stars! Watch us on "Good Things Utah" this Friday, September 23 at 9 am on channel 4. Then again on Friday, September 30 on the 4 pm News, also on channel 4. They'll be speaking on "Dentistry's Dirty Little Secret", which is mercury poisoning from silver fillings, and also the soda "epidemic" in Utah and how it's affecting our teeth. Tune in and cheer for our dentists!

 

McDonalds In My Kitchen

Canning My Mother's Famous Salsa

McDonalds in my kitchen

I have a shirt that has amazing powers.  If I put it on in the morning, my children will groan and moan and even break down into hysterics at times when they see it.  What is this shirt??  Well, that’s a long story that started 25 years ago!

The summer after I graduated from high school I attended a camp at BYU.  During that camp my group did a silly dance with props -  McDonald's hats, trays and styrofoam take-out containers.  Our group leader managed to get us some t-shirts to wear during the performance.  They were bright yellow with the words “Good Food, Good Folks, Good Fun” on the front, and “In search of M” with the big McDonalds logo on the back.  

Other uses

It’s the kind of shirt you send to the thrift store when you’re cleaning out your drawers, but for some reason I didn’t get rid of it.  It was certainly not something I would ever wear outside my home, so I decided it would be the perfect canning shirt.  When I’m canning, my shirt gets filthy.  I use it as my hand towel!  It’s now so stained it all just blends in.   I’ve worn it proudly nearly every time I’ve canned for the past at least 20 years.  So when I put it on in the morning, the kids know they are in for a super fun day of helping me can - thus the groans and hysterics!

My son made a funny comment a few weekends ago when I was sporting “the shirt”.  He said if someone only visited our house in September, they would think I loved McDonalds!  I wear the shirt every Saturday!  He’s right.  And we all got a chuckle yesterday when we were watching some old home videos.  There I was, 16 years ago, canning peaches in the shirt.  Both the shirt and I looked much younger then, but we’ve both stood the test of time!

Tradition, Tradition

This got me thinking about family food traditions.  Have you ever thought about how food plays such an prominent role in most family events?  Family get together - what are we going to eat?  Birthdays - cake?  Reunions - grandma’s potato salad.  Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Easter - they all have food that goes hand in hand with our celebrations.

So I have two questions for you - why do we have these traditions, and second, what are your traditions and how have they molded you?

Interesting questions.  I found a good definition for tradition: “any activity you purposefully repeat together as a family that includes something extra that lifts it above the ordinary ruts.  Traditions, when done right, lend a certain magic, spirit, and texture to our everyday lives.”

Why Traditions Are So Important for Families

Traditions have played a role in families since the dawn of time.  There are some reasons they persist:

They Provide a source of identity. Traditions and rituals often tell the family’s story.   Traditions teach us about where we come from, and remind us of who we are.   They even help create our identity.  Psychologist Marshal Duke has found that children who have knowledge of their family’s history are typically more self-confident than children who don’t. Understanding who you are brings that confidence.  

My grandma started my canning tradition (I don’t know if she had a shirt though…) and my mom continued it.  That’s where I learned to can, and where I learned to appreciate the fruits of these often long, hot labors.  A few weeks ago, my mom, now living far away in Kansas, commented that my pictures of canning jars full of peaches made her homesick.  “There’s nothing quite so satisfying as filled canning jars,” she said.  I even use three canners - my grandma’s, my mom's and mine (see photo).  It’s kind of like they are there with me in the kitchen - right where I remember them being.  Hard work and providing for my family - that part of my identity came from those two wonderful women.

They strengthen the family bond.  Research has found that families that frequently do things together have stronger connections and unity.  Especially in today’s day and age, face-to-face interaction is seriously lacking.  

I think the perfect example of this is the quintessential Sunday family dinner.  For years in both my husband's and my families, this meant roast, potatoes and gravy, and jello salad of some sort.  I don’t always make this Sunday dinner for my family, but I did this week.  It just feels comfortable and safe...like family.

They teach values. One of the main purposes of traditions is to reinforce values.  Daily family prayer teaches the importance of faith and gratitude.  Nightly bedtime stories reinforce the importance of education - and teach it is okay to dream.  Family dinners and family activities show that it’s okay to be with family, and that family will be there for you.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve choked through tear jerkers like Island of the Blue Dolphins and Where the Red Fern Grows with my kids.  It’s really hard to read when you’re crying!!  And my boys in particular always look up when my voice starts to get that almost crying tone to it - they want to watch mom lose it!  But I wouldn’t trade those quiet days, snuggled in a bed next to them, for anything.  We talk about hard things and use examples of these characters that have become our friends to learn life’s lessons together.

They connect generations. In his book The Secrets of Happy Families, Bruce Feiler explains that grandparents serve as humanity’s “ace in the hole.”  Grandma and Grandpa being involved in their grandchildren’s lives leads to lower mom stress and happier kids.  

One tradition we have with my husband’s parents is rolling tires.  I believe I’ve written about it before, but it’s worth writing about again!  It is the ultimate redneck activity.  Grandpa brings a whole bunch of old farm tires to the top of a large hill.  There is some farm junk at the bottom - rusted out refrigerators, old cable spools, etc.  The kids roll the tires down the hill and if they hit some junk, grandma pays them a quarter.  Grandpa goes to the bottom with his tractor and picks up the tires, brings them to the top, and they do it all over again.  Now who wouldn’t want to go to grandma and grandpa’s house if you get to roll tires?!

I know traditions have certainly helped mold who I am today, and I hope they continue to mold my kids as well.  In honor of my canning shirt, I want to share one my family traditions.  This  is my mom’s famous salsa recipe that I cover my shirt with every year:

Sue’s Salsa

30 tomatoes, peeled and chopped                                                        

8 green peppers, chopped

8 onions, chopped                                                                               

12 long chilies, chopped

6-12 jalepenos, chopped (please wear gloves!)                                        

3/4 C white vinegar

1/3 heaping C non-iodized salt                                                              

2 t celery salt

2 t garlic salt                                                                                       

1 t mustard seed

1/2-3/4 C sugar

Mix all together in a very large stock pot.  Put in oven and cook uncovered for 5 hours at 325.  Stir every hour or so.  Process for 20 minutes in water bath/steam canner.

Have a great week!

Love,

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen

Give Your Smile a Facelift #6

Part six of our "Give Your Smile a Facelift" series. Here I get an exciting sneak peek at my new teeth in the form of a wax model. At this point, Dr Jorgensen will make any necessary changes to the model before the teeth are made into individual porcelain veneers. Getting closer!! 

Seed Saving Tips

Our Self Sufficiency/Emergency Prep course last night was SO GOOD! Dr Jorgensen and Elayne Pearson are amazing ladies and we got so excited about trying out their ideas. Thank you to those who attended. One of the things we talked about was saving seeds from our gardens. Here's a chart to help with that. And remember, don't save hybrid seeds, they won't re-grow. Save heirloom seeds and you'll be greatly rewarded! Remember that Dr J will be speaking again tonight at Real Foods in Orem at 6:30. You're going to love what you learn!

CLASS SNEAK PEAK

 Here's a sneak peak at our Self Sufficiency 101 & Staying Calm Tips workshop tomorrow night.
"Where to Start?? You have big dreams, you are excited, there is so much to learn...and it all feels VERY overwhelming! For me, the only way to tackle something this big and this important is to take it one bite sized step at a time. I am going to give you a 12 MONTH GUIDE TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY that you can use, follow or glean bits and pieces from. Now relax--this is fun stuff!" From preserving to sprouting, to collecting rain water and baking bread, there will be a lot to get excited about! Two speakers: Dr Michelle Jorgensen on Self Sufficiency Made Easy, and Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Prep Specialist. Join us and bring friends along!

September 7 (tomorrow) at 6 pm.
972 W 2200 N, Pleasant Grove (go to the back)

Please Join Us...

Gluten Free in Real Life, Tips and Recipes

Gluten free in real life

This week was my 24th wedding anniversary.  I can’t believe it’s been that long!  To celebrate we went to a Bed and Breakfast in Provo, and spent the evening walking around reminiscing about living there 24 years ago while attending BYU. We were just babies back then!

Ever sentimental (not!), I bought both of our anniversary presents.  I purchased 12 glass bottles for fermenting kombucha for my husband, and I bought myself “The Big Book of Kombucha” recipe book - yes it’s called that!  We are very weird around our house.  If you don’t know what kombucha is, where have you been??  It’s a hippie-like fermented beverage made from sweet tea.  It’s full of lots of happy probiotics for good gut health, which makes me happy too.

Fermenting craziness

As I looked around my kitchen, trying to find room somewhere for these 12 really cool fermenting bottles, I realized I’m weird in multiple ways.  I have three half gallon jars of kombucha in the making above the oven.  I have goat milk kefir fermenting on the counter, ready for tomorrow’s smoothies.  I have my sourdough starter in the fridge, after using it for seedy sourdough bread and sourdough crepes earlier in the week.  Next to the starter is a jar of raw goat cheese, getting more and more fermented as the days go by.

But it doesn’t stop in the kitchen…  Downstairs I have a huge crock of dilly pickles fermenting away, another few jars of fermenting Russian pickles,  a big jar of kimchi, another of green sauerkraut and another of red.  They sit next to big jar of fermented dilly beans and garlic.  Yes, it looks very much like a mad scientist’s laboratory down there (see photo below).  And the smell is a little off if you’re not used to it!

Remembering lost traditions

This is the way people have been preserving food for centuries.  Long before refrigeration, canning or freezing, people fermented and dried the food if they wanted to store it for later.  I call this time of year the “squirrel days”, because we are squirreling away food.  Yes, I know there are supermarkets, but will they always be there, and even more importantly, do I really want to eat what they are selling?

I could go off on this subject for days, but I promised to follow up on the gluten free post last week.  So, this long intro does serve a purpose.  All of the foods I described above are gluten free.  Isn’t that amazing. That’s one of my biggest pet peeves about this gluten free craze.  All of a sudden people can’t figure out what to eat.  I bet you can name 20 foods right now that don’t have gluten in them.  Apples, oranges, watermelon, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, cheese, rice, meat, eggs, butter, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, cucumbers, chocolate, broccoli, peaches……….  Why in the world have we forgotten how to eat when we are choosing not to eat gluten??

How we do it

I’m going to share some gluten free eating  tips and recipes with you to make this dietary choice easier, and less expensive.  You’ll notice I will not mention one single processed “gluten-free” product.  All of these foods are naturally now and always gluten free.  You’ll also notice most of these foods are whole foods.  Yes, this does increase your prep time (slightly), but along with that it increases your nutritional value exponentially and your costs go down.  Try to complain about either of those things.

I want to clarify something first - I do not have celiac disease, I am just very sensitive to the gluten protein found in  some grains.  So I can eat a fermented sourdough wheat bread on occasion, and I don’t have to make sure there isn’t a speck of the grain in anything.  You may be like me, or more sensitive.  It’s hard to figure that out unless you go very clean for awhile.  I will teach you how to do that, and you can back off if you are able later.

Typical day in our gluten free home:

The Night Before…  We always prepare for the coming day, because it makes our food choices easier.

• Smoothie prep- we put the dry smoothie ingredients in the blender - protein powder, chia seeds, etc.  We leave the bottle on the blender ready to add the liquids and frozen to in the morning.
• Lunch making - we pack leftovers from dinner up for lunch the next day.  Inexpensive and easy - just double the recipe for dinner.  
• Make dinner - I prepare something in the crockpot and rice cooker at least 3 times a week (I’ll include some recipes).  I make it all the night before, put it in the crock, and the whole crock goes in the fridge overnight.  I start it in the morning and dinner is ready when I get home.  This saves SOOO much money, and I can’t tell you how happy I am when driving home from a long day at work and I remember dinner is done on the counter at home.

Common complaint...I’m too tired!  Do this for me.  Prepare for the next day for one week, and I think you will see the time you save the next day, the yummy nutritious food you enjoy, and the stress that is relieved is worth any energy you expend at night.  Try it.  You just might like it:)

Breakfast:

• Eggs - we have eggs for breakfast at least 4-5 days per week.  At a few dollars a dozen, this is inexpensive, and it will keep you and your kids full for much longer during the day.
• Oatmeal - Are oats gluten free??  Yes, they are.  However, sometimes they are grown in fields that have also grown wheat, or are processed in facilities that have also processed wheat.  So if you have celiac you will want to avoid oats.  If not, they are a very inexpensive, filling breakfast.
• Smoothies - we freeze fruit all fall so we can make smoothies all year.  Ours are simple - fruits and veggies, goat milk kefir, protein powder and chia seeds if we want a little boost.
• Extras - on weekends we will make french toast or pancakes (sourdough are to die for), or German pancakes.  All can be easily made gluten free.

Common complaint...It takes too long to make breakfast!  Cereal is all I can do.  (PLEASE don’t just buy gluten-free versions of cereal.  It’s is so expensive, and it’s about as nutritious as the cardboard box they sell it to you in.)  We have not had cereal in our home in at least 5 years.  So here’s how we do it.  First, we just don’t have it, so we don’t have that option.  Second, everyone helps in our home.  From toddler age up, everyone is involved in making meals.  One kid is in charge of making eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, so it frees me up to make smoothies. Eggs take 4 minutes to cook.  You can find 4 minutes!

Lunch:  

• Like I said above, weekday and weekend lunches are leftovers from dinner the night before.  
• One of our greatest investments was some good, spill proof tupperware-type containers.  We bought three sizes for each person and we write their initial in the corner of the lid and the container.  If they used it today, they hand wash it before filling it for tomorrow.  Saves on dishwasher space and using disposable baggies.  We love the “Lock and Lock” brand of containers because they hold up to being tossed around in lunch bags, and they DO NOT spill!
• I know some kids and adults don’t have a way to heat up food, so here are some non-heat lunch ideas:

• Boiled eggs
• Sliced veggies - carrots, cucumbers, celery, cherry tomatoes, etc
• Sliced or whole fruit - orange, apples, kiwi, grapes, strawberries, other berries, etc
• Dried fruit - apricots, bananas, etc
• Olives, artichoke hearts, pickles
• Applesauce
• Yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese (PLEASE don’t get the sugar full yogurt.  Buy plain and add fruit)
• Leftover cooked veggies - I love cold beans and broccoli
• Lunch meat and cheese roll ups (you don’t need the bread or tortilla!)  Add lettuce for a crunch.
• Hummus or peanut butter for dipping with veggies or nut thin crackers
• Trail mix, nuts

Common Complaint...I don’t want the same thing every day!  Great - so mix and match the list above for a different lunch every day for months!!

Dinner:

• My biggest complaint with “american” food is that it doesn’t have much flavor.  So we rotate through ethnic meals (see below).  You’ll get a lot of “this is SOOO Good” comments!
• I believe in meals that have few ingredients, short prep times, and are big on nutrition.  Sounds heavenly doesn’t it??  Here is a sample week and the recipes below:

• Monday: Burrito Bowls
• Tuesday: Sausage, Potato Soup (Zuppa Tuscano from Olive Garden), green salad
• Wednesday: Crockpot spaghetti sauce with rice noodle pasta (this is one processed food we eat some of), cooked or sliced veggies
• Thursday: Korean Bibimbop
• Friday: Cowboy Stew, corn chips, fruit salad

• We bought some giant soup bowls at an Asian market, so all you need for a lot of these meals is that big bowl for each person.

Common complaint...I don’t have time to make a from scratch meal.  My answer.  It takes no more time than trying to figure out what to make, searching your cupboards, running to the store, even going out to eat.  I plan my menu on Sunday night and shop Monday if I need anything.  I always can make something in 30 minutes or less.

Burrito Bowls  

Pile the beans and rice in a bowl.  Top with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, other veggies, salsa, cheese, etc.  Cabbage salsa makes it all the more yummy if you have the time to make it.

Black Beans

Soak 2-3 cups of black beans overnight.  Cover them with at least 2 inches of water.

In the morning, drain and rinse beans.  Put in crockpot with a piece of Kombu seaweed (helps with gas - optional).  Cover with 2 inches of water.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Dip off the liquid and mash with potato masher.  Add salt to taste – will want to add 1 t then taste for more.

Mexican rice

• 2 C brown rice
• 3 ½ C water
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1 t spices (either Mexican spice mix or cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and oregano)\
• 1t salt

Put all into rice cooker in the evening and start in the morning.  Cook on brown rice setting.

Cabbage salsa

• 1 small head cabbage, shredded
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• ¼ C cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 t olive oil
• 1 T rice vinegar or white vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and let sit to blend flavors for a few minutes

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana                       

• 1 pound Italian sausage (I’ve made it without meat and it tastes great too)
• 3 russet potatoes, chopped into bite sized chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups kale or Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup cream or milk - non dairy is okay
• salt and pepper, to taste

                       

Brown Italian sausage in skillet. Drain and discard fat.Combine all ingredients except cream and kale in slow cooker. Cook on low 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5.

Add cream and kale to slow cooker, stir, and cook until leaves are wilted and warmed through, 20-30 minutes.  Ladle into bowls, serve immediately and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 28 ounce can tomato sauce
• 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 29 ounce diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional - chopped carrot, green pepper, mushrooms, celery

Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute onion until softened.  Add garlic and cook a few minutes longer.  If you added additional veggies, add them now and saute for a few minutes.  Put the veggies and all the other ingredients into a crock pot.  

Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Shortly before serving, remove the bay leaves and taste the sauce. If there’s a slight bitterness, add 1 tablespoon sweetener which will eliminate the bitterness. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

              

Bibimbop (this is basically a Korean version of  burrito bowl!)

Cook brown rice in the rice cooker.  

In the bowl top the rice with veggies of your choice - put each into small pile on top and it looks pretty!

Topping options:

Carrots, cut into thin strips

Cucumber, cut into strips

Cooked bean sprouts, sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with salt

Cooked spinach, sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with salt

Mushrooms, thinly sliced and sauteed in peanut oil and seasoned with salt

Put an over-easy egg on the top of the rice and veggies.  Then top with either gluten free soy sauce (called Tamari) or the Bibimbop sauce (recipe below)

Bibimbop sauce (I make extra and keep it in the fridge)

4 tablespoons gochuchang chili paste (available at Korean grocers)

1 T sugar

1 T sesame seeds

1 T cider vinegar

2 t sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well.

Cowboy Stew

• 1 pound browned hamburger (can use turkey)
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can diced Italian seasoned tomatoes
• 1 can tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 cans whole baby potatoes, drained
• 1 can Ranch Style beans (with the baked beans in the grocery store)
• 1 cup water
• sliced jalapeno peppers for garnish (optional)

.

Brown the hamburger with the chopped garlic. Drain the fat. Dump all cans into the crockpot. Drain the corn and the potatoes, but add the rest of the can liquid to the crockpot.  Add the browned meat and a cup of water. Stir with a spoon to mix a bit.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5. Garnish with sliced jalapeno peppers, if desired.

Can't Find Ranch Beans at your grocery store? No Problem!!  simply mix together:

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans (plus the goop!)

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vinegar (white or apple cider)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Enjoy!

Dr. Michelle Jorgensen