Usually we think of certain foods as “vegetables” or “spices” or “seasonings.” Sometimes, we tend to categorize them according to taste, rather than what they bring to the table in terms of nutrients.

We use a combination of organic spices – organic cayenne powder, organic Ceylon cinnamon, organic turmeric, organic fine-ground black pepper, and organic ground celery seeds – to help birds who are experiencing inflammation like arthritis, or even some illnesses. We’ve found it to be quite effective, and the risk of adverse effects is very low, unlike manufactured anti-inflammatory drugs.

We now offer this as “Magic Powder Plus” – a combination of natural spices you can shake on to fresh food, add to baked goods like birdie bread and casseroles, or even add to dry food by coating it in a very small amount of a healthy oil. We use a 50/50 mix of virgin (unrefined) coconut oil and red palm fruit oil. Both melt at a very low temperature, so don’t use too much heat. Melt them gently and add just enough to very lightly coat the dry foods (seeds, nuts, or other dry food mix). Then sprinkle with enough of the powder to lightly coat the food completely.

Add a couple of tablespoons to a 13 x 9 pan, sprinkled over a mix of healthy grains and maybe even some veggies like diced sweet potato or squash.

Bake up some birdie bread using your favorite cornbread recipe or mix – as long as it’s a healthy one – and add a cup of diced hot peppers and a tablespoon of the Magic Powder Plus for a spicy cornbread.We often use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread mix, and substitute flax-eggs (1 Tbsp Flax and 3 Tbsp water) for the eggs, as well as using half coconut oil and half applesauce for the “oil” in the recipe, for a lower fat content.

The “flax-eggs” are easy enough, and if you want to save on dishes, you don’t even have to “make” the “eggs” – you can simply add the number of tablespoons of ground flaxseed equal to the number of eggs called for in the recipe, mixed right in with dry ingredients, and remember to add THREE tablespoons PER EGG of extra liquid (juice, water, almond milk, etc) to the liquid called for in the recipe. I have made cornbread both ways and there was absolutely no difference between making the “flax-eggs” ahead – and letting them “jell”, and the method I prefer – mixing the ground flax seeds with the dry ingredients and the water with the liquid ingredients. Both turned out exactly the same – spicy and delicious!