HEALTHY GOALS FOR 2014

January 27, 2014 ~       

It's been several months since I last posted. A lot has changed since then.

I'm still a full-time, straight-A student at Avila University -- go Eagles! My husband and three kids are still amazingly incredible! And I have begun an internship for Special Olympics Kansas. 

We drove to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for a wonderfully relaxing vacation with my husband's parents right after the Christmas holiday. Thank you, Gary and Ellen!

I have not been running since September of 2013, so I can't wait to get out and let loose this spring. And yes, we do have a treadmill. And, no, I never use it. I have this thing about running outside or bust.

To maintain somewhat, I have been occasionally working out with free weights which is very convenient. While I don't get the same cardio workout that running provides, lifting weights has helped me to somewhat diminish the atrophy I usually experience during the winter months.

My 11-year-old son ran his first 5k in fall 2013 -- the Jared Coones Pumpkin Run. http://pumpkinrunwalk.org/  I am so proud of him and hope to run a race with him sometime this year.

I have come to realize that healthy living encompasses your mind, body AND spirit. Since losing my mother last year, I have encountered a great void in my life. There have been days when I run on empty emotionally, so I decided this week to begin purposefully recalling all the things for which I can be thankful. Being happy is a choice, and I choose happiness.

And I can't wait to graduate at the end of the year!!! So many friends have encouraged me and supported me along the way, and the finish line is finally in clear sight! It's hard to believe I've been at this for a year-and-a-half now. To all the women in my life -- thank you for the inspiration that you are to me. We are so much better together!

May you discover and realize your goals for 2014! What do you hope to accomplish in the new year?

 

Choosing a Health Food Store

Posted June 17, 2013 / 3:00 p.m.



While I've been posting a lot of information about herbals, supplements, and gluten-free products, I haven't yet blogged about the importance of finding a reputable health food store near you.

A health food store typically offers a wide array of vitamins/supplements and specialized foods not found in your typical drug store/grocery store.  Specialized foods would include food products and supplements that cater to the dietary needs of diabetics, people with gluten intolerances and other allergies, athletes, vegetarians, etc.  Maybe you need extra calcium because you're at risk for osteoporosis.  Maybe you want a fluoride-free toothpaste or sulfate-free shampoo.  Maybe you want the purest fish oil on the market.  Whatever your particular needs, a health food store can be an invaluable source in helping you achieve your wellness goals.

My family goes to Harvest Moon Natural Foods, a family-owned business that's been serving southern Johnson County for the past 19 years.  I like this particular health food store for several reasons: 

1.  Location (conveniently located just a few blocks from our house in south Olathe). 

2.  Products (they usually have what I need, and if not, they will special-order just about anything as a courtesy to customers).

3.  Knowledgeable staff (ask for Joy -- she knows her stuff).

4.  Healthy Buyers' Club (for a $15 annual membership, you get a 20% discount the first Tuesday each month on all regular-priced merchandise -- excluding BOGOs -- and a 5% discount all other days throughout the year).

5.  Competitively priced (and lower than the competition when using the 20% monthly discount).

While I still purchase some of my vitamins and supplements on-line, it's comforting to know I have a reputable health food store close by, and the 20% discount is a huge incentive to buy local.   I don't know about you, but I feel good supporting the local economy; saving money in the process is an added plus for sure!  :)

Tasty Gluten-Free Baked Goods

Posted June 16, 2013 / 12:30 p.m.

Just because you don't want gluten in your diet doesn't mean you must forgo sweets.

Here are some products that get our rave review:

Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread mix:

This is hands-down, the best cornbread I've ever eaten -- and it's gluten free!  It bakes up tall and dense, and the flavor is incredible!  Priced around $4 and available at Whole Foods, our local Hy-Vee and Hen House grocery stores.

Bob's Red Mill gluten-free brownie mix:

These brownies bake up very moist, especially when adding the optional chocolate chips to the mix.  The only drawback:  bake time is a little long, but they're well worth waiting for. Available at Whole Foods and our local Hy-Vee. 

Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes:

Available in devil's food and yellow varieties, these cake mixes bake up much like a regular cake mix but slightly denser.  Great taste and easy to make -- thank you, Betty Crocker.  Around $5 and available at several grocery stores in the health food sections.  I also use these mixes to make gluten-free cake doughnuts for my kids.  They love frosting and sprinkling the homemade doughnuts with their favorite toppings.

Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix:

This mix makes awesome pancakes!  Very tasty, especially with chocolate chips.  Very pricey, too -- expect to pay $16 to $19 for 4-pound bag.

Bob's Red Mill also makes a wonderful gluten-free flour for from-scratch baking.  I make a lot of banana bread for my family, and this flour bakes up wonderfully!  A bit pricey, though.  Expect to pay around $6 to $7 for a package of gluten-free flour.

And for those of you who don't want to bake it yourself, Glutino and Kinnikinnick make some wonderful cookies, wafers, and other baked goods.  One suggestion:  To soften the chocolate chip cookies, transfer the cookies from the package to an airtight container and add a piece of bread. It works like magic!

Gluten-Free Pastas

Posted June 10, 2013 / 1:30 p.m.


If you're considering a gluten-free diet, not all gluten-free pastas are created equal.  Here are my recommendations:

For gluten-free SPAGHETTI noodles, I recommend DeBoles CORN Spaghetti Style Pasta NOT rice spaghetti style pasta.  The corn product is most like wheat spaghetti in terms of taste and texture; the rice is not. Expect to pay anywhere between $2.75 to $3.85 per package, and you will probably need two boxes to feed a family of four to five.

For recipes that include sauces served over noodles or casserole dishes, I recommend Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta, which comes in a variety of shapes including spiral, shell, and elbow pastas.  Watch packaging -- most Tinkyada pastas come in 16-ounce packages, but a few are only 12 ounces and cost the same price (you will generally need the full 16-ounces for recipes). Tinkyada pastas have a nice texture and taste pretty good overall. Expect to pay between $3.50 to $4.25 per bag.

Another tasty and cheaper alternative to Tinkyada's Brown Rice Pasta is SamMills Pasta for Kids. These pastas, made from 100% corn, come in fun shapes like ducks and alphabet letters. (These pastas work especially well in soups.)  Besides being gluten free, they are GMO free, dairy free, cholesterol free, and egg free. Expect to pay around $2.75, but you'll get slightly less (12 ounces) than with the Tinkyada pastas.

For box macaroni and cheese, I recommend Annie's Totally Natural Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese. This product is sold at our local Target -- the cheapest retailer I've found for this item (around $2.75 per box regularly but they run occasionally sales, too). I add butter (not listed in the directions) and some extra milk to make it creamier. There are two gluten-free varieties: regular cheddar with elbow noodles and white cheddar with shell noodles.

Most all of these pastas are fully cooked within 8 to 10 minutes, but some (like the Tinkyada) take more like 14 to 16 minutes. Be sure to follow cooking instructions closely, as most gluten-free pastas tend to get mushy when overcooked and hard when undercooked.

My kids favorite: gluten-free pasta cooked in chicken broth instead of water. They love this dish, and you can use low-sodium and even organic varieties of broth for a healthier alternative.

Enjoy!

Cleaning Alternatives

Posted June 10, 2013 / 12:00 p.m.

Some years ago, one of my friends got me thinking about all the harsh chemicals found in the cleaning products I used. Thank you, Priscilla! Consequently, I made some changes and wanted to share some of the better ones with you. Some of them will actually save you money, and all of them are better for you and the environment. (I love win-win scenarios!)

First, we haven't used fabric softener of any kind in several years. My kids are sensitive little things, so we use perfume/dye-free laundry detergent; but that also means no sweet-smelling fragrances.  A natural alternative -- buy your favorite essential oil (I like lavender), shake a few drops of it on a small piece of terry cloth or similar fabric, and throw it in with your laundry. Voila -- "fabric dryer sheets" that are good for you, good for the environment, and easy on the wallet.

Another cheap but effective product I use is club soda. You can't beat it for stain removal -- especially for clothing and carpet. You can get a generic bottle of club soda for around 80 cents.  It works like a charm, saves you money, and is better for you and the environment -- no fumes or irritants. The only caveat -- replace it when it's gone flat.

A couple of years ago, I also switched to an all-natural cleaning agent that's been around since 1891 
-- Borax (20 Mule Team ). This multi-purpose household cleaner works great to clean out sinks, bathtubs, and toilet bowls without all the harsh chemicals and fragrances.  It's so convenient not to buy the separate toilet bowl cleaner and tub cleaner, plus it's a lot cheaper.

Another product I HIGHLY RECOMMEND is Ultra Dishmate Natural Almond dish soap by Earth Friendly Products.  For years, I suffered from dry, cracked hands in the wintertime.  I tried many creams, lotions, and several different dishsoaps, but nothing seemed to help.  Then I switched to Earth Friendly Products dish soap, and the rest is history. Expect to pay around $4 for a 25-fluid ounce bottle, but this product is well worth it. It smells wonderful, cleans great, and is 100% natural and derived from coconut oil.  

Lastly, I recommend making the switch to an ammonia-free, natural glass cleaner. I use Method Glass + Surface natural glass cleaner, but there are several other good comparables on the market. Method's glass cleaner is available at our local Target, so that makes it convenient to find and pretty affordable.

The last thought I would leave with you is that if you choose to continue using cleaning products with harsh chemicals, consider wearing gloves. Chemicals are absorbed into your skin and carried by your blood stream, and many ingredients in commonly-sold cleaning products are not healthy for your body.

Cleaner Air at Home

Posted June 1, 2013 / 11:00 p.m.

 

Garage sales are a fun pastime I used to share with my mother. She loved taking her time perusing other people's discards and felt a sense of satisfaction when she found that special something and saved money in the process.

It was at one of these sales that I came across a book called How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants that Purify Your Home or Office. Basically, the book discusses how NASA conducted plant studies and found that several houseplants were effective in reducing volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from inside air. Moreover, PCAC and Wolverton Environmental Service, Inc. conducted further research, building upon NASA's research, and tested plants' effectiveness in removing various toxic gases, such as formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene, from indoor air. The results were incredible!

You may be wondering what does this have to do with you?

Well, as mass consumers and purchasers of many modern-day products composed of plastics and other synthetic materials, you are being exposed daily to these very toxins which off-gas in your home and office. Formaldehyde, for example, is commonly found in garbage bags, paper towels, facial tissues, floor-coverings and adhesives.

Plants are an excellent way to effectively counter indoor air pollution, according to NASA's research and that of Dr. B.C. Wolverton. At the top of the list are several types of palms, rubber plants, English ivy, some types of ficuses, some types of ferns, peace lilies, corn plants, gerbera daisies, and florists' mums.

After reading this book, I began acquiring houseplants of various kinds and placing them in every room of our home. As I've said before, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, and now you have the power to make the air you breathe healthier for you and your family.

Fast Healing

Posted June 1, 2013 / 10:00 p.m.

Many of us notice that as we age, we heal more slowly. As for our kids, slow to form, long-lasting scabs are tempting to pick, which also slows the healing process.

Thanks to my friend, Dusty -- who's very eco-conscious -- I found a little miracle worker that will heal your wounds so quickly it will make your head spin. And the best part -- it's an herbal salve!

Try the Tea Tree Salve by Wise Woman Herbals. With ingredients like black walnut, tea tree oil, beeswax and extra virgin olive oil, Neosporin doesn't hold a candle to this stuff.

Let's just say you put it on a cut or abrasion and within hours, a scab
forms. Reapply the salve on the scab and within a couple of days, 
most wounds are completely healed.

Who doesn't want to experience quick healing? Give it a try --
you'll be amazed with the results!