Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to take this time to wish you all a warm and happy Thanksgiving! We will be closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday, resuming normal business hours on Saturday. Enjoy your turkey day!

Low-Sodium Herb-Rubbed Turkey Recipe

Ingredients

           6 garlic cloves, minced

           2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons rubbed sage

           1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

           2 teaspoons pepper

           1/2 teaspoon each ground allspice, ginger and mustard

           1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

           1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

           1 turkey-size oven roasting bag

           2 celery ribs, chopped

           2 small carrots, chopped

           1 small onion, chopped

           1 small potato, sliced

           1 turkey (14 pounds)

           1 tablespoon cornstarch

           2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix garlic, herbs and spices until blended. Sprinkle flour into oven bag; shake to coat. Place bag in a roasting pan; add vegetables and sprinkle with 5 teaspoons herb mixture.

Pat turkey dry. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; rub half of the remaining herb mixture under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks. Rub remaining herb mixture over inside of turkey.

Place turkey in bag over vegetables, breast side up; close bag with nylon tie. Cut six 1/2-in. slits in top of bag; close with tie provided. Bake 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°.

Remove turkey from oven bag to a serving platter; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. Strain contents of oven bag into a small saucepan, discarding vegetables; skim fat from cooking juices. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually whisk into cooking juices. 

Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with turkey.

 Yield: 28 servings.

10 Tips for Cooking a Healthy Thanksgiving Meal!

1. Leave the marshmallows and brown sugar out of the sweet potatoes.

2. Slim down your stuffing by adding more vegetables like celery and carrots.

3. Use herbs and spices like garlic and rosemary to flavor dishes instead of butter and salt

4. When baking, use extracts like vanilla, almond and peppermint instead of sugar and butter.

5. Instead of adding chocolate chips, use dried fruit, like cranberries.

6. Use olive oil instead of butter (even in mashed potatoes)

7. Use whole grain breads instead of white

8. Substitute low-fat or fat-free for heavy cream

9. Bake, grill or steam vegetables instead of frying

10. Prepare less food; you'll save time and money!

Easy Soup Recipe for Healthy Hair!

The ingredients in this Chicken Soup recipe are stuffed with hair health enhancing nutrients. Bon appetit!

Chicken Soup with Rice and Green Peas

Skinless chicken provides plenty of high-quality protein which is necessary for healthy hair growth. This nutritious chicken soup also features carrots, which are rich in both beta-carotene and vitamin C, two key nutrients for maintaining healthy hair.

Ingredients

4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup green peas
2 small ribs organic celery, diced
2 small carrots, sliced
1/2 cup short grain brown rice, washed
2 cups skinless, organic chicken, cooked and diced

Directions
-Soak rice in cold water from 15 minutes to one hour. This will reduce cooking time, or use instant rice!

-Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add pre-soaked rice and vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.

-Add cooked chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Winter Tips for Lymphedema Patients

With the arctic blast in full swing, we thought we would share some tips for our friends with lymphedema!

1. Be very careful of ice. Remember you can’t always see ice, it can be what they call black ice, a very fine coat. Walk on surfaces very carefully. You don’t want to  fall.

2. Dress appropriately. Keep your limbs comfortably warm but not  too warm or too tight. Remember that you can swell in wintertime as  well.

3. Always wear appropriate footwear. Make sure you have  worn and broken in your boots, sneakers or your winter wear before you  tread out. Awkward foot gear can cause falls.

4. Moisturize! Remember in wintertime skin can be extremely dry with the heater blowing.

5. Make sure if you happen to get your  garments or socks wet, change them as soon as possible to avoid skin irritations or fungal infections.

6. Wear mittens instead of gloves. They provide more warmth and gloves can also become tight on the fingers if you swell.

7. Keep a winter lymphedema survival kit in your car.  Try to carry extra medications, bandages, extra blanket, batteries,  flashlights, etc with you in case you are stranded somewhere.

Congratulations to Our Winners!

Thank you all for supporting our Wigs for Wonderful Women - Women's Cancer Wig Giveaway! Since we had such a great response, we decided to expand our giveaway and are now giving away three synthetic hair wigs! We have our winners...

Grand Prize, Winner of a Human Hair Wig - Lori Fransworth

Runners up, Winners of a Synthetic Hair Wig- Janet Wilder & Amanda Larson & Theresa Packer

Congratulations ladies! We are looking forward to getting to know you and to seeing you in your glamorous head of customized hair!

Join Our Team!

Are you a troubleshooter? Do you like helping people achieve better quality of life? We have an opening for a full-time compression garment fitter! You will have the opportunity to train under the BEST garment fitter in the Houston-area (some say in the whole United States!), Kristen Knowles. If you are looking to improve lives, please message us here, send an email at kristen@hairandwellness.com or call us at 713-623-4247. We're looking forward to expanding the Ricky Knowles Hair and Wellness Team!