Well, I say 'on the detox' but today was actually day 1 of weaning myself off it. I wanted to go 6 or 7 days and I did that. The salt water flush was way too much for me to take anymore. Today is the first day that I didn't do it. We'll see... I've had some fresh squeezed Orange Juice, an orange and an apple with Peanut butter, a big HUGE day considering I've only had drinks for the last 6 days... I am also drinking some Lemonade too.
Not much else to say,
T
Wednesday
Monday
Detox Day 5
So today is going well enough. The salt water flush took a bit too long for my liking, but I"ll leave it at that.
Being a holiday today, I got to spend the entire day with my boys! It was a ton of fun, we hung out and had a blast. Hunger is not bothering me today, even when walking by food at the mall (thank gawd, cause that stuff is pretty nasty most of the time).... The only thing that is calling my name is Kris' homebaked gluten free cookies... and lo and behold she has a give away too! I'm not sure how many readers I have out there (one? maybe not even)... but if you are out there, go to Kris' site (iheartwellness) and enter to win your very own taste of her very own cookies! And if you don't win, well, just order them off her etsy site!
FREE Fresh Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Check out this Giveaway on http://www.IHeartWellness.com Now! http://bit.ly/gNQh0O YUM
Being a holiday today, I got to spend the entire day with my boys! It was a ton of fun, we hung out and had a blast. Hunger is not bothering me today, even when walking by food at the mall (thank gawd, cause that stuff is pretty nasty most of the time).... The only thing that is calling my name is Kris' homebaked gluten free cookies... and lo and behold she has a give away too! I'm not sure how many readers I have out there (one? maybe not even)... but if you are out there, go to Kris' site (iheartwellness) and enter to win your very own taste of her very own cookies! And if you don't win, well, just order them off her etsy site!
FREE Fresh Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Check out this Giveaway on http://www.IHeartWellness.com Now! http://bit.ly/gNQh0O YUM
Detox Day 4
I woke up yesterday with the taste of salt in my mouth. Yuk. It's like my body was waiting for it, wanting it... I didn't want to give in. But I did, and while waiting I did a little workout. Not a big one, I'm going slow (don't want to use all my energy on working out, my body needs it for detoxing). Everyday I will do a little more, and go a little more intense, until the day I'm off the detox and I'm kicking Zuzanna's ass (yah right!)
I think I will stay in my office all day today. Chris made the boys some gluten free pancakes with banana's and peanut butter and it just smelled SO good, I'm not sure if I can stay strong walking by the kitchen. Damn food! ha, but slowly I am winning the war in my mind!!!!
What a waste the salt flush was... it didn't work. I felt bloated and grumpy and horrible for most of the day! But after having a short nap I got back up and actually finished off my business course! (so fantastic!!) It felt so great. Chris took the boys for dinner to the inlaws, and I had some beautiful quiet time. Doesn't happen often so I take it when I can!
I think I will stay in my office all day today. Chris made the boys some gluten free pancakes with banana's and peanut butter and it just smelled SO good, I'm not sure if I can stay strong walking by the kitchen. Damn food! ha, but slowly I am winning the war in my mind!!!!
What a waste the salt flush was... it didn't work. I felt bloated and grumpy and horrible for most of the day! But after having a short nap I got back up and actually finished off my business course! (so fantastic!!) It felt so great. Chris took the boys for dinner to the inlaws, and I had some beautiful quiet time. Doesn't happen often so I take it when I can!
Saturday
My daily tea ritual
Every morning I have this. I love it. There are so (SO) many health benefits to adding both Tumeric and Cinnamon to your day (cancer fighting, tumor fighting, anti-inflammatory), and more....
here is what I do...
Get your mug and tea bag (I'm using Tazo Zen Tea)
Add just boiled water
Add some tumeric
stir in some cinnamon (or add a stick of cinnamon, it's pretty)
Drink it up!!
How do you drink your tea?
here is what I do...
Get your mug and tea bag (I'm using Tazo Zen Tea)
Add just boiled water
Add some tumeric
stir in some cinnamon (or add a stick of cinnamon, it's pretty)
Drink it up!!
How do you drink your tea?
Detox Day #2
I haven't written much about the detox because it seems as though I've just been busy... busy with what? well, actually just catching up with all the loose ends I call life....
So as you may know, after my 'mercury freak out', I decided to go on a detox to clean out any toxins hiding in my body and just generally get it ready for spring. I did a lot (A LOT) of research on detoxing the different body organs, the herbs involved and the order in which it should be done, and when it all came down to it, I really wanted to do the Master Cleanse again (otherwise known as the Lemonade Diet). A few reasons I choose this cleanse is that the ingredients in the Master Cleanse are simple and pure and really do a great job of helping to clean out organs like the liver, kidney and colon, skin and the circulatory system. Another big reason I choose this cleanse again is because of what it does to me personally on a mental level. When I'm on this, I really go somewhere pretty deep with food particularly with it's hold on me. It may sounds weird, but it's true. Along the journey of just drinking lemonade (and herbal teas and water, plus this time around we've added a nice shot of Vita Green for many health and detoxing benefits), anyways, somewhere along the way, my brain switches and I become aware of what I was eating, and more importantly how I was eating. After doing this cleanse, I feel like I have more control over food and it's hold on me. I feel a lot better (inside and out) I eat when I'm genuinely hungry, and I stop eating before I'm full. I end up eating much smaller portions (we've actually switched to smaller dinner plates). I love the feeling of coming off this detox and walking past food knowing that I don't want or need it. So now you know the what and why. here's the rest of the info...
Let me explain how I started, so you know how I got to today..
Day 1 and 2 were partial detox days. I started my morning off with the usual smoothie (a cup of mixed berries; black, blue, raspberry, protein powder, green super food powder, flax, orange juice, and a banana). Then later had my green tea with Cinnamon and turmeric. For Lunch I drank a few cups of the lemonade drink. In the afternoon I had some Rooibos tea and for dinner I had a light salad with walnuts, cranberries, and balsamic vinegar. (on day 2 I had some creamed carrot and sweet potato soup with coconut milk)
so here we go, full detox day #2
I woke up today with a smile on my face knowing that I was going to the sauna again. Ah, it's so nice especially considering that we got hit with another wicked snow storm! WinterPeg, the land of wind and snow....The far infa-red sauna was tremendous, and I booked myself in for 2 times a week for the next 3 weeks! There are so many benefits of doing this type of sauna (especially if you are detoxing). The most recognised benefit is the fact that the rays penetrate the tissues inside your body and help to release the toxins that way. When you add a cleansing detox, body brushing, salt bath soaks, stretching, meditating and yoga, you're detox can really do wonders for you!
I know that there are a ton of websites out there explaining the Master Cleanse, so I'm not going to do that here, but I am going to give up the recipe here(and show you what the ingredients do)...
So as you may know, after my 'mercury freak out', I decided to go on a detox to clean out any toxins hiding in my body and just generally get it ready for spring. I did a lot (A LOT) of research on detoxing the different body organs, the herbs involved and the order in which it should be done, and when it all came down to it, I really wanted to do the Master Cleanse again (otherwise known as the Lemonade Diet). A few reasons I choose this cleanse is that the ingredients in the Master Cleanse are simple and pure and really do a great job of helping to clean out organs like the liver, kidney and colon, skin and the circulatory system. Another big reason I choose this cleanse again is because of what it does to me personally on a mental level. When I'm on this, I really go somewhere pretty deep with food particularly with it's hold on me. It may sounds weird, but it's true. Along the journey of just drinking lemonade (and herbal teas and water, plus this time around we've added a nice shot of Vita Green for many health and detoxing benefits), anyways, somewhere along the way, my brain switches and I become aware of what I was eating, and more importantly how I was eating. After doing this cleanse, I feel like I have more control over food and it's hold on me. I feel a lot better (inside and out) I eat when I'm genuinely hungry, and I stop eating before I'm full. I end up eating much smaller portions (we've actually switched to smaller dinner plates). I love the feeling of coming off this detox and walking past food knowing that I don't want or need it. So now you know the what and why. here's the rest of the info...
Let me explain how I started, so you know how I got to today..
Day 1 and 2 were partial detox days. I started my morning off with the usual smoothie (a cup of mixed berries; black, blue, raspberry, protein powder, green super food powder, flax, orange juice, and a banana). Then later had my green tea with Cinnamon and turmeric. For Lunch I drank a few cups of the lemonade drink. In the afternoon I had some Rooibos tea and for dinner I had a light salad with walnuts, cranberries, and balsamic vinegar. (on day 2 I had some creamed carrot and sweet potato soup with coconut milk)
so here we go, full detox day #2
I woke up today with a smile on my face knowing that I was going to the sauna again. Ah, it's so nice especially considering that we got hit with another wicked snow storm! WinterPeg, the land of wind and snow....The far infa-red sauna was tremendous, and I booked myself in for 2 times a week for the next 3 weeks! There are so many benefits of doing this type of sauna (especially if you are detoxing). The most recognised benefit is the fact that the rays penetrate the tissues inside your body and help to release the toxins that way. When you add a cleansing detox, body brushing, salt bath soaks, stretching, meditating and yoga, you're detox can really do wonders for you!
I know that there are a ton of websites out there explaining the Master Cleanse, so I'm not going to do that here, but I am going to give up the recipe here(and show you what the ingredients do)...
Master Cleanse Recipe (& more info)
Daily Drink (this should last you all day):
8 cups of pure filtered water (you want filtered for the obvious reasons of not putting more chemicals and toxins in your body when you're trying to get them all out!)
12 TBsp of Pure Organice Maple Syrup (the underlined words are very important! do not skimp on this)
12 TBsp of Pure Organic Lemon Juice (you need to squeeze your own juice, the stuff in the bottle is not good enough)
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (don't add this into the mix straight away, add it to your cup when your ready to drink)
What do all these ingredients do for you really?
Lemons:
known as natures miracle fruit
has plenty of potassium (aids in normalizing blood pressure)
work with sodium to regulate bodies water balance
top source of citric acid (essential for our bodies cells)
great germicide
provides modest amounts of calcium, magnesium, enzymes, vitamin C & A, copper, iron, phosphorous, folic acid
A+ tonic/cleansers for liver, kidney, bowels lungs and skin (helps flush out our system)
Maple Syrup:
great source of Manganese (energy producer and antioxidant defender)
Zinc (helps decrease skin problems, supports prostate health & keeps immune system healthy)
Cayenne Pepper:
Our added ingredients to the cleanse...
we are doing 2 X 10ml shots of this stuff in a glass of water per day::
Vegetable Juice Complex; broccoli juice, carrot juice, tomato juice, beet juice, spinach juice, cucumber juice, brussel sprout juice, cabbage juice, celery juice, kale juice, asparagus juice, green bell pepper juice, cauliflower juice, parsley juice, wheat grass juice.)
Chlorophyll Powder & Aloe Vera Extract
There are a ton of reasons why this addition is great for the detox (check their site if you'd like more info) But basically, it will add some protein, and really boost the detox process along.
For the record, we do drink a ton of filtered water, along with the occasional herbal tea during the day. Also, first thing in the morning, we do the dreaded salt flush, and at night we take a bunch of fibre pills (make sure yours don't include psyillium husk~ as it will just constipate you!)
Don't forget to get plenty of rest, excercise (or at least stretching/yoga), add in some beneficial body brushing, some epsom salt baths, infa-red saunas, meditation, massages, and anything else that you think will help!
Good Luck!!
here are a few sites that talk about the master cleanse (diet/detox) if you'd like more info about it (and if you're thinking of doing this, you really should!!)...
site #1
site #2
site #3
8 cups of pure filtered water (you want filtered for the obvious reasons of not putting more chemicals and toxins in your body when you're trying to get them all out!)
12 TBsp of Pure Organice Maple Syrup (the underlined words are very important! do not skimp on this)
12 TBsp of Pure Organic Lemon Juice (you need to squeeze your own juice, the stuff in the bottle is not good enough)
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (don't add this into the mix straight away, add it to your cup when your ready to drink)
What do all these ingredients do for you really?
Lemons:
known as natures miracle fruit
has plenty of potassium (aids in normalizing blood pressure)
work with sodium to regulate bodies water balance
top source of citric acid (essential for our bodies cells)
great germicide
provides modest amounts of calcium, magnesium, enzymes, vitamin C & A, copper, iron, phosphorous, folic acid
A+ tonic/cleansers for liver, kidney, bowels lungs and skin (helps flush out our system)
Maple Syrup:
great source of Manganese (energy producer and antioxidant defender)
Zinc (helps decrease skin problems, supports prostate health & keeps immune system healthy)
Cayenne Pepper:
also has calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium, zinc, niacin, riboflavin, thaimine, Vitamin A, B6, C,E.
Maybe I should have just said it doesn't have any: folic acid, panthothenic acid,Vitamin B12, or K
Our added ingredients to the cleanse...
we are doing 2 X 10ml shots of this stuff in a glass of water per day::
Vital Greens by;Naka
Superfood Complex: wheat grass, barley grass, alfalfa, soy lecithin, spirulina, pectin apple fiber, sprouted barley malt, brown rice bran, bee pollen, pineapple juice powder, Nova Scotia Dulse, fructooligosac-charides, chlorella, beet juice powder, oat grass, rye grass, grape seed extract, peppermint leaf, royal jelly, acerola juice powder, licorice root, rhubarb juice powder, aloe vera, ginkgo biloba, ginger root and bilberry leaf.) Vegetable Juice Complex; broccoli juice, carrot juice, tomato juice, beet juice, spinach juice, cucumber juice, brussel sprout juice, cabbage juice, celery juice, kale juice, asparagus juice, green bell pepper juice, cauliflower juice, parsley juice, wheat grass juice.)
Chlorophyll Powder & Aloe Vera Extract
There are a ton of reasons why this addition is great for the detox (check their site if you'd like more info) But basically, it will add some protein, and really boost the detox process along.
For the record, we do drink a ton of filtered water, along with the occasional herbal tea during the day. Also, first thing in the morning, we do the dreaded salt flush, and at night we take a bunch of fibre pills (make sure yours don't include psyillium husk~ as it will just constipate you!)
Don't forget to get plenty of rest, excercise (or at least stretching/yoga), add in some beneficial body brushing, some epsom salt baths, infa-red saunas, meditation, massages, and anything else that you think will help!
Good Luck!!
here are a few sites that talk about the master cleanse (diet/detox) if you'd like more info about it (and if you're thinking of doing this, you really should!!)...
site #1
site #2
site #3
Friday
Headaches Update
SO, just wanted to point out quickly...
After my far infa-red sauna today I noticed that my headache was gone.
After my far infa-red sauna today I noticed that my headache was gone.
FINALLY!!!!!
I can't believe it! It's been a month and a half, and it's finally gone. So those of you who were following, or read about what was going on, you can sleep at ease tonight.
Cross your fingers and knock on wood. All is well here!
T
Mercury in my body...
The title may scare you, and that's Okay...
I've known for a long time that Mercury is dangerous. I've always vowed that my kids wouldn't get any silver fillings, and a while back I promised myself that I would get mine taken out. Well, in early January I finally got them out. It worked out nicely I thought, because one of my old fillings needed to be replaced, and it was one of two silver fillings. The second was right beside it so they agreed to take them both out and replace them. Easy as Pie.....
Well, not really.... There was a bunch of stuff that went wrong, stuff that erkked me and it just turned out to be a nasty day (and continued on to be a stressful month).... let me explain....
First off, the dentist didn't use any type of rubber damn (which is the least he should have done), and the assistant didn't do anything of the sorts for helping me out with water or an air hose (except for stream water down my throat while watching the tv on the ceiling), I did my absolute best about breathing (or not breathing) as I could, but it was really hard.
2ndly, after one filling the dentist started cleaning up and getting ready to go, in my 1/2 frozen-ness I mentioned that there were 2 that needed to be done so somewhat reluctantly he came back to finish (but not very well, one tooth still feels like sand paper, and that's still after I went back once already to have it redone)... anyways... So he finishes up (quite quickly) and I'm off. . . .
About 3 days later the headaches started. They were straight off brutally intense. Behind my eyes, both temples, along my jawline and into the back of my neck. My first thought was mercury.... So, I did what I do at times, FREAK OUT!!!!
opps...
Thank Gawd for my Bach Flower Remedies, otherwise I think I would have gone mad! I started doing research on how to detox the mercury out of my body (researching Mercury poisoning in general would have surely sent me over the edge) Mercury scares me, and I could not think of anything positive (even my hubby was worried a bit). But after a few weeks (yes I waited a long time) and after talking with my naturalpathic doctor my best friend and my massage therapist, we all decided that the intense headaches had to do with my jaw alignment.
*Great big Sigh of Relief*
But... there was still concern for an excess of Mercury in my body. I went to our regular walk-in clinic (there is a huge shortage of doctors in this town, so we actually don't even have one, thank goodness for our Naturalpath), and he signed me up for a Mercury blood test (but not before he went to check that there was such a thing ~ you'd think we lived in some small hick town). There's only one problem with the blood test, the fact that I waited over 2 weeks to do it, so any Mercury in my blood was now surely trapped in my cells and wouldn't show up in the test.
What now?
My naturalpathic doctor gave me the good ol' Mercury pee test. It's pretty intense (you take some special pills (DMSA) on an empty stomach and they draw out the Mercury from your body. Then you basically get to collect all your pee for 6 hours and then send in a sample) I brought it home and after looking at the instructions, and reading on-line about it a while, I've decided against it (for now). I'm mainly concerned about a false positive happening (see, if these pills draw out a ton of Mercury from your body, then of course it will come back saying that you have high levels of Mercury, I know I have it, so that's not the issue, the issue is getting it out and getting it out safely)...
Back to my detoxing research, but first I want to mention 2 things here. One is that besides being a Nutritionist, one thing I really want to study and specialize in is detoxing (so the research that I was doing all along here was really a win win situation for me, and it really was a lot of fun), and 2ndly, during all this time of researching I received my detoxing course in the mail through the therapy network in the UK. Coincidence (I never think so!)
So, I had all these things figured out, my notes were pretty extensive, and I was really excited to start a cleansing of my body and all of it's toxins!
All in all the last month and a half have been interesting. I've learned A Lot, and feel calmer (about my own situation) and more confident in my detox specialization!
Do you detox? What type and why?
I've known for a long time that Mercury is dangerous. I've always vowed that my kids wouldn't get any silver fillings, and a while back I promised myself that I would get mine taken out. Well, in early January I finally got them out. It worked out nicely I thought, because one of my old fillings needed to be replaced, and it was one of two silver fillings. The second was right beside it so they agreed to take them both out and replace them. Easy as Pie.....
Well, not really.... There was a bunch of stuff that went wrong, stuff that erkked me and it just turned out to be a nasty day (and continued on to be a stressful month).... let me explain....
First off, the dentist didn't use any type of rubber damn (which is the least he should have done), and the assistant didn't do anything of the sorts for helping me out with water or an air hose (except for stream water down my throat while watching the tv on the ceiling), I did my absolute best about breathing (or not breathing) as I could, but it was really hard.
2ndly, after one filling the dentist started cleaning up and getting ready to go, in my 1/2 frozen-ness I mentioned that there were 2 that needed to be done so somewhat reluctantly he came back to finish (but not very well, one tooth still feels like sand paper, and that's still after I went back once already to have it redone)... anyways... So he finishes up (quite quickly) and I'm off. . . .
About 3 days later the headaches started. They were straight off brutally intense. Behind my eyes, both temples, along my jawline and into the back of my neck. My first thought was mercury.... So, I did what I do at times, FREAK OUT!!!!
opps...
Thank Gawd for my Bach Flower Remedies, otherwise I think I would have gone mad! I started doing research on how to detox the mercury out of my body (researching Mercury poisoning in general would have surely sent me over the edge) Mercury scares me, and I could not think of anything positive (even my hubby was worried a bit). But after a few weeks (yes I waited a long time) and after talking with my naturalpathic doctor my best friend and my massage therapist, we all decided that the intense headaches had to do with my jaw alignment.
*Great big Sigh of Relief*
But... there was still concern for an excess of Mercury in my body. I went to our regular walk-in clinic (there is a huge shortage of doctors in this town, so we actually don't even have one, thank goodness for our Naturalpath), and he signed me up for a Mercury blood test (but not before he went to check that there was such a thing ~ you'd think we lived in some small hick town). There's only one problem with the blood test, the fact that I waited over 2 weeks to do it, so any Mercury in my blood was now surely trapped in my cells and wouldn't show up in the test.
What now?
My naturalpathic doctor gave me the good ol' Mercury pee test. It's pretty intense (you take some special pills (DMSA) on an empty stomach and they draw out the Mercury from your body. Then you basically get to collect all your pee for 6 hours and then send in a sample) I brought it home and after looking at the instructions, and reading on-line about it a while, I've decided against it (for now). I'm mainly concerned about a false positive happening (see, if these pills draw out a ton of Mercury from your body, then of course it will come back saying that you have high levels of Mercury, I know I have it, so that's not the issue, the issue is getting it out and getting it out safely)...
Back to my detoxing research, but first I want to mention 2 things here. One is that besides being a Nutritionist, one thing I really want to study and specialize in is detoxing (so the research that I was doing all along here was really a win win situation for me, and it really was a lot of fun), and 2ndly, during all this time of researching I received my detoxing course in the mail through the therapy network in the UK. Coincidence (I never think so!)
So, I had all these things figured out, my notes were pretty extensive, and I was really excited to start a cleansing of my body and all of it's toxins!
All in all the last month and a half have been interesting. I've learned A Lot, and feel calmer (about my own situation) and more confident in my detox specialization!
Do you detox? What type and why?
Sunday
Oil Pulling
While the idea of Oil Pulling or OP is very very old, it is brand new to me. I've come across the idea of Oil Pulling a few times in the last month or so, and keep meaning to search on it more. Yesterday we were at the book store and as I turned a corner there it was, a book on Oil Pulling. I decided to see how much I could read before the boys got bored and we had to leave.
Well, I'll tell you, my kids are amazing... they lasted so long that I really nearly finished it! Every 3rd or 4th page I could feel my mouth drop a little, and I would find myself looking for Chris to tell him what I just read. It was fantastic!
There seem to be no side effects to Oil Pulling, nor are there really any rules or strict guidelines to follow. Searching online I couldn't find very many sites on the topic, but here are a few that I did find....
http://www.oilpulling.com/
http://www.oilpulling.org/oil-pulling/
http://www.naturalnews.com/025578_oil_pulling_health_learning.html
It sounds like something that can't hurt to try, and could actually help? Who knows eh?
At any rate, Chris and I started Oil Pulling with Sesame Seed Oil today. It was really not that bad. I must say that the 20 minutes took some time to finish, and my tounge was pretty sore afterwards, but other then that it was ok. The oil looked like milk when we spat it out in the trash afterwards. I'm looking forward to trying it for a few weeks at least (after which I will stop to see if there is a noticable difference).
I have noticed that for a while now (at least 2 weeks) I have had a horrible tension headache and my neck hurts more then normal. I'm not sure what it's all about, but last night I started getting a little worried that it was maybe some residual mercury in my body from the removal of my last 2 mercury fillings. The dentist did not remove them properly, and I don't think I detoxed long enough with Cilantro. I have since increased my intake of Cilantro to 2-3 Tbsp today, and will continue that amount (or more) for a few weeks. I hope all of these together will get rid of this ache I have!
Well, I'll tell you, my kids are amazing... they lasted so long that I really nearly finished it! Every 3rd or 4th page I could feel my mouth drop a little, and I would find myself looking for Chris to tell him what I just read. It was fantastic!
There seem to be no side effects to Oil Pulling, nor are there really any rules or strict guidelines to follow. Searching online I couldn't find very many sites on the topic, but here are a few that I did find....
http://www.oilpulling.com/
http://www.oilpulling.org/oil-pulling/
http://www.naturalnews.com/025578_oil_pulling_health_learning.html
It sounds like something that can't hurt to try, and could actually help? Who knows eh?
At any rate, Chris and I started Oil Pulling with Sesame Seed Oil today. It was really not that bad. I must say that the 20 minutes took some time to finish, and my tounge was pretty sore afterwards, but other then that it was ok. The oil looked like milk when we spat it out in the trash afterwards. I'm looking forward to trying it for a few weeks at least (after which I will stop to see if there is a noticable difference).
I have noticed that for a while now (at least 2 weeks) I have had a horrible tension headache and my neck hurts more then normal. I'm not sure what it's all about, but last night I started getting a little worried that it was maybe some residual mercury in my body from the removal of my last 2 mercury fillings. The dentist did not remove them properly, and I don't think I detoxed long enough with Cilantro. I have since increased my intake of Cilantro to 2-3 Tbsp today, and will continue that amount (or more) for a few weeks. I hope all of these together will get rid of this ache I have!
a new site of mine
In an effort to work smarter and not harder, I've started a separate site for anything to do with food and or recipes. This should now leave the 'What am I trying to do now' site, as it should be, which is talking about the stuff that I'm trying to do. :)
Please see this site for anything to do with food!
Please see this site for anything to do with food!
Thursday
Keep your sickness to yourself! (my rant for the day!)
There's an epidemic of sorts in my neighbourhood. It started a few weeks before Christmas, and it has just reared it's ugly head yet again. What is it? The stomach flu!
I'm calling it an epidemic because I really don't know what else to say, there are some families here that have been 'hit' with this 'bug' 3 or 4 times! (Yes you read that right, 3 or 4 times!!!) I just can't believe it, I really can't. I heard a few stories of people (kids and adults) being so sick that they are literally in the washroom every 2 hours throwing up (despite not eating -this to me is pretty serious, especially when it is for 3 or 4 days in a row!) And don't get me started on why these people are still going to work and sending their kids to school!
There are so many reasons that this epidemic bothers me.
Oh where do I start???
-The fact that people try to 'suck it up' and go to work or send their kids to school. ????? How do you expect your body to heal itself when you don't give it the rest it needs?
-Swallowing assorted pills and liquids to help relieve the symptoms does nothing NOTHING good for you or your body in actually fighting the infection. Your body needs rest, Vitamin C, soup, tea, and plenty of water, and of course, MORE REST! (maybe throw in there some oil of oregano, or echinacea and maybe zinc... depending on what ails you...)
-If you are green in colour, your child has a fever, if you have been throwing up or just don't feel completely healthy you need to listen to your body and give it rest and time to heal. Trust me, and trust your body, it knows how to do it, and given the right environment it WILL do it.
-So many days my kids came home to tell me who threw up in class today, and who left early because they weren't feeling well. Then the next day they would be back at school, obviously not completely healthy, but still back. Tell me this, is your job more important then YOU, is your child's grade 2 xmas party more important then a HEALTHY child? Is the health of all the other children in the class not important to you?
So, you all may be wondering how we fared over the holidays. Well, to tell you the truth I'm pretty sure the 'bug' did 'hit' us. My youngest was first, he had a stomach ache all day, and was resting and drinking a lot of tea and water. He threw up once in the morning, and because I made him rest some more, felt better by the afternoon. My oldest son had a stomach ache the next week at night, he threw up twice in about 2 hours and slept without incident that night, only to wake up feeling great. Both my husband and I had a stomach ache for about 36 hours, but that was the extent of that.
If anyone is interested in what we do when things are going around here is it...
We all triple our Vitamin C intake (for my kids they get 500g 3X day, my hubby and I take 1000g 3X day)
We add either oil of oregano 3-5 X day (if we feel we may be catching 'it') or echinacea 3-5 X day(early prevention)
We also make 100000% sure that we do not miss our regular supplements (which are multi vits, probiotics, vit D and fish oils)
being sick is something that happens to everyone, whether you get really sick for a week, or just don't feel yourself for a few days. My rant here isn't about being sick, it's about not taking care of yourself or your kids when you are sick! Stay home, stop eating sugar, sleep (don't just sit and watch tv, actually sleep!), don't medicate yourself to get rid of the symptoms instead give your body the things it needs to fight the actual invaders! Keep your sickness to yourself too, please stop sending your kids to school when they are clearly ill, you are doing a disservice to everyone else!
Grrrr, I think that's it......
for now?
Irony? just saw this article in the globe and mail.... it may not be just me, what do you think?
I'm calling it an epidemic because I really don't know what else to say, there are some families here that have been 'hit' with this 'bug' 3 or 4 times! (Yes you read that right, 3 or 4 times!!!) I just can't believe it, I really can't. I heard a few stories of people (kids and adults) being so sick that they are literally in the washroom every 2 hours throwing up (despite not eating -this to me is pretty serious, especially when it is for 3 or 4 days in a row!) And don't get me started on why these people are still going to work and sending their kids to school!
There are so many reasons that this epidemic bothers me.
Oh where do I start???
-The fact that people try to 'suck it up' and go to work or send their kids to school. ????? How do you expect your body to heal itself when you don't give it the rest it needs?
-Swallowing assorted pills and liquids to help relieve the symptoms does nothing NOTHING good for you or your body in actually fighting the infection. Your body needs rest, Vitamin C, soup, tea, and plenty of water, and of course, MORE REST! (maybe throw in there some oil of oregano, or echinacea and maybe zinc... depending on what ails you...)
-If you are green in colour, your child has a fever, if you have been throwing up or just don't feel completely healthy you need to listen to your body and give it rest and time to heal. Trust me, and trust your body, it knows how to do it, and given the right environment it WILL do it.
-So many days my kids came home to tell me who threw up in class today, and who left early because they weren't feeling well. Then the next day they would be back at school, obviously not completely healthy, but still back. Tell me this, is your job more important then YOU, is your child's grade 2 xmas party more important then a HEALTHY child? Is the health of all the other children in the class not important to you?
*here's a true story, a mother at the school here was complaining one morning about how lethargic her kid was, she said she thought he was coming down with something, so she gave him a pain reliever, some cough syrup and (and I'm quoting her here) "a bunch of spoonfuls of sugar to try to wake him up' SERIOUSLY????? I felt like grabbing that poor 4 year old and taking care of him...*
So, you all may be wondering how we fared over the holidays. Well, to tell you the truth I'm pretty sure the 'bug' did 'hit' us. My youngest was first, he had a stomach ache all day, and was resting and drinking a lot of tea and water. He threw up once in the morning, and because I made him rest some more, felt better by the afternoon. My oldest son had a stomach ache the next week at night, he threw up twice in about 2 hours and slept without incident that night, only to wake up feeling great. Both my husband and I had a stomach ache for about 36 hours, but that was the extent of that.
If anyone is interested in what we do when things are going around here is it...
We all triple our Vitamin C intake (for my kids they get 500g 3X day, my hubby and I take 1000g 3X day)
We add either oil of oregano 3-5 X day (if we feel we may be catching 'it') or echinacea 3-5 X day(early prevention)
We also make 100000% sure that we do not miss our regular supplements (which are multi vits, probiotics, vit D and fish oils)
being sick is something that happens to everyone, whether you get really sick for a week, or just don't feel yourself for a few days. My rant here isn't about being sick, it's about not taking care of yourself or your kids when you are sick! Stay home, stop eating sugar, sleep (don't just sit and watch tv, actually sleep!), don't medicate yourself to get rid of the symptoms instead give your body the things it needs to fight the actual invaders! Keep your sickness to yourself too, please stop sending your kids to school when they are clearly ill, you are doing a disservice to everyone else!
Grrrr, I think that's it......
for now?
Irony? just saw this article in the globe and mail.... it may not be just me, what do you think?
Wednesday
More FOOD
Yesterday was freezing cold. I'm not talking about -20.C or even -30.C, here with the windchill it was a blistering -45.C!!! Being a stay-at-home mom and having the school 14 houses away, I could not with a conscious drive my kids to school..... alas, we walked (bundled up to the max!)... brrrrrrr. What you need to understand with a cold that COLD, is that it is really really hard to warm up after wards. You should also know that I'm the kind of person who hates (HATES!) being cold, I think it's the worst torture around. Usually I'm wearing a sweater, slippers, and have a little heater going even when the house is a balmy 73.F!
anyways....
now that you know how cold it really was, and how much of a wimp I am you'll understand why I wanted to turn my oven on and keep it that way all day! The only way I could do this was to bake and cook all day. Great timing too because I had been reading a bunch of blogs with amazing sounding treats on it that I just needed to try! Here it goes.....
Recipe #1 from iheartwellness is a wicked salt and vinegar guilt free tv munching snack!
Just as the site says: Mix together sunflower seeds, apple cider vinegar and sea salt!
I used 3 cups sunflower seeds,
3Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 3Tbsp of Sea Salt
Mix
Place in an oven for 250 (I turned it up to 325) and bake for 1-2 hours (stirring every 20 minutes).
I'm glad I did these first cause they were so delish to munch on while making the rest of my goodies!!
While snacking on these yummy treats, I was also making some AMAZING granola bars... This recipe is also from iheartwellness, On the site Kris makes them into 'clusters', but I ended up changing it up a bit , and adding / subtracting parts to suit my ingredients. Here is what I did...
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup crushed walnuts
1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup cranberries
3 Tbsp Chia seeds
1tsp vanilla
1 cup melted coconut oil
Mix well together, put on cookie sheet and flatten. Place in freezer to set. While there make your chocolate sauce. I mixed together in a pot on the stove the following...
2 Tbsp butter (or coconut oil)
1 Tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Once the bars are set, take them out of the freezer, cut into desired sizes (bars or squares, etc), and drizzle still hot chocolate sauce. Put back into freezer to set chocolate and store in the fridge. Now, I've never made granola bars before, but these turned out so amazing, that even my hubby and kids were sneaking into the kitchen to wolf some more down!
So, I have now put away my cooled and flavoured sunflower seeds into a nice glass jar in the fridge. The bars are staying safe away from my fingers in a container in the fridge. And I'm starting to make some mint chocolate covered peanut butter balls. I found this recipe here on all day I dream about food so yum!!
I tweaked it a bit with half rice flour and half regular flour, and used a mint chocolate for some of them, and the rest I made chocolate with the cocoa powder....
Here is what they turned into..
This is the Chunky peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and flour mixed together (I used maple syrup instead of the sugar substitutes shes had listed) all rolled into cute little balls.
Put these into the freezer while you melt your chocolate....
Then dip each peanut butter ball into the melted chocolate, and place back into the freezer to set. Store in the fridge if you have any left! Yum!!
Mine have little holes in the tops from the toothpicks I put in them to help me with dipping!
While I was making all these, I also made a few dozen (ok, 5 dozen), of my kids fav flour free totally chocolate and peanut butter cookies....
you can find the recipe here from last time, and made some yummy gluten and dairy free butter chicken for dinner!
and so, after all this, I was tired, and worn out, and full of chocolate.... but best of all,
I WASN'T COLD!!!!!!!
(and better yet, my fridge was full of yummy healthy treats for the rest of the week!)
Later!
T
anyways....
now that you know how cold it really was, and how much of a wimp I am you'll understand why I wanted to turn my oven on and keep it that way all day! The only way I could do this was to bake and cook all day. Great timing too because I had been reading a bunch of blogs with amazing sounding treats on it that I just needed to try! Here it goes.....
Recipe #1 from iheartwellness is a wicked salt and vinegar guilt free tv munching snack!
Just as the site says: Mix together sunflower seeds, apple cider vinegar and sea salt!
I used 3 cups sunflower seeds,
3Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar and 3Tbsp of Sea Salt
Mix
Place in an oven for 250 (I turned it up to 325) and bake for 1-2 hours (stirring every 20 minutes).
I'm glad I did these first cause they were so delish to munch on while making the rest of my goodies!!
While snacking on these yummy treats, I was also making some AMAZING granola bars... This recipe is also from iheartwellness, On the site Kris makes them into 'clusters', but I ended up changing it up a bit , and adding / subtracting parts to suit my ingredients. Here is what I did...
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup crushed walnuts
1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup cranberries
3 Tbsp Chia seeds
1tsp vanilla
1 cup melted coconut oil
Mix well together, put on cookie sheet and flatten. Place in freezer to set. While there make your chocolate sauce. I mixed together in a pot on the stove the following...
2 Tbsp butter (or coconut oil)
1 Tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
Once the bars are set, take them out of the freezer, cut into desired sizes (bars or squares, etc), and drizzle still hot chocolate sauce. Put back into freezer to set chocolate and store in the fridge. Now, I've never made granola bars before, but these turned out so amazing, that even my hubby and kids were sneaking into the kitchen to wolf some more down!
I tweaked it a bit with half rice flour and half regular flour, and used a mint chocolate for some of them, and the rest I made chocolate with the cocoa powder....
Here is what they turned into..
This is the Chunky peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and flour mixed together (I used maple syrup instead of the sugar substitutes shes had listed) all rolled into cute little balls.
I WASN'T COLD!!!!!!!
(and better yet, my fridge was full of yummy healthy treats for the rest of the week!)
Later!
T
Tuesday
Fav. Recipes.
OKay, here it goes. People have been asking me for some of these because they are the bomb! (and pretty healthy too).... I am happily passing these on, please enjoy! (and remember, these are not my original recipes, I do not have that kind of skill!)
My fav way to eat QUINOA!!!!
Teriyaki Quinoa
#1 Cook 1 cup dry Quinoa (or use leftovers, that's what I do)
- if you are cooking leftovers, start at step 2!
#2 In a saucepan heat 4 large cloves of garlic and 1TBsp of grated fresh ginger (or more, I like more)
#3Once heated through and fragrant, add Quinoa and stir. (if this is your only item for the meal, add things like grated carrots, celery, minced peppers, minced broccoli, here's your chance to get creative!)
#4 add in 3-4 TBsp Tamari (gluten free is best), 2TBsp agave nectar (or sweetener), 1/2 lemon squeezed. Stir well. Keep at low heat.
#5 Add to plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cut green onions.
ENJOY!!!!
*found and adapted from ALIVE magazine*
My Fav Soup (besides homemade Chicken noodle and Borsht!)
Carrot Ginger Chicken Soup!
#1 saute medium onion in butter or coconut oil.
#2 add 2TBsp grated GInger, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1tsp ground cinnamon
#3 add 9-10 cut up carrots (not too big!) and mix well. (I added 1 regular sized sweet potato and 6 carrots this time)
#4 add 1 can coconut milk, then fill that with water and add that. Add the juice of 1 orange.
#5 Boil slightly, then simmer 10-15 minutes(don't boil too much, remember there is milk in there!)
#6 While the soup is cooling a little Chop up your chicken into small bite sized pieces. Cook with a bit of olive or grape seed oil, a dash of salt and pepper. When done, set aside. (I would have a photo, but Chicken never looks good in photos!)
#7 When soup is cooled, blend it until it's creamy smooth.
Add in Chicken, stir, reheat and Serve!
YUM!!!!
*taken from Zuzanna's workout site*
My fav way to eat QUINOA!!!!
Teriyaki Quinoa
#1 Cook 1 cup dry Quinoa (or use leftovers, that's what I do)
- if you are cooking leftovers, start at step 2!
#2 In a saucepan heat 4 large cloves of garlic and 1TBsp of grated fresh ginger (or more, I like more)
#3Once heated through and fragrant, add Quinoa and stir. (if this is your only item for the meal, add things like grated carrots, celery, minced peppers, minced broccoli, here's your chance to get creative!)
#4 add in 3-4 TBsp Tamari (gluten free is best), 2TBsp agave nectar (or sweetener), 1/2 lemon squeezed. Stir well. Keep at low heat.
#5 Add to plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cut green onions.
ENJOY!!!!
*found and adapted from ALIVE magazine*
My Fav Soup (besides homemade Chicken noodle and Borsht!)
Carrot Ginger Chicken Soup!
#1 saute medium onion in butter or coconut oil.
#2 add 2TBsp grated GInger, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1tsp ground cinnamon
#3 add 9-10 cut up carrots (not too big!) and mix well. (I added 1 regular sized sweet potato and 6 carrots this time)
#4 add 1 can coconut milk, then fill that with water and add that. Add the juice of 1 orange.
#5 Boil slightly, then simmer 10-15 minutes(don't boil too much, remember there is milk in there!)
#6 While the soup is cooling a little Chop up your chicken into small bite sized pieces. Cook with a bit of olive or grape seed oil, a dash of salt and pepper. When done, set aside. (I would have a photo, but Chicken never looks good in photos!)
#7 When soup is cooled, blend it until it's creamy smooth.
Add in Chicken, stir, reheat and Serve!
YUM!!!!
*taken from Zuzanna's workout site*
More Quotes that make me Happy!
It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. ~E.E. Cummings
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. Marcus Tullius Cicero
You cannot point to the same river twice because new water is always flowing... Heraclitus
The following authors are all Unknown to me...
Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all that he can.
Never Limit your own Potential or your own Beliefs.
If something would be good for you in the future, why don't you just start now?
Success is usually dependent on doing things differently.
The only thing we should ever strive to control is our own thinking.
The of following are from Deepak Chopra.....
If something breaks the rule, no matter what it is, no matter how infrequent it is, no matter how remote the probability, it means that a new possibility has arisen.... we have to pay attention.
Expectations determine outcomes.
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