I sure do try to do a lot of things sometimes. I have realized that it is physically impossible for me to do as much work as there is to do around here- there jsut simply aren't enough hours in the day. This means that the kids have got to help more, and I will have to make them. Not a great prospect come tomorrow after a long weekend of playing around, and the necessity of doing schoolwork!
I am also in the midst of an awful cleanse. I started 2 weeks ago thinking I would ease into it for a week and just eat fruits and veggies, then move on to the deep cleansing with juices and broths and herbs and be done by now. Well, I got a new book on cleansing the bowel, so I've never done this cleanse, but it's a lot cheaper than the one I like doing the most of course, anyway, it took me some time to get all the supplies and get going with it. I'm hating it so far, but I know my body really, really needs it and we really can't afford $500 to do the other one. If it really doesn't work, then we'll have to cough up the $500. I wish insurance would cover that great cleanse. They'll cover medication and surgery, but for me colonics and herbal cleanses are what keep me healthy and avoiding medication and surgery. I guess even without insurance paying, it's more cost effective in the end- not to mention quality of life. But the cleanse I'm doing now will be even better if it works because I won't have to depend on anybody else-- going to an appt. or anything.
We'll see though, because I am REALLY tired of salad and watermelon and tomorrow I start the juice phase for 3 days. I hope I make it, my herbal combinations aren't as good as having it already made for me.
We also got the little goats. They were so loud going back to their pen. They've been quiet ever since, so I think it will work out. I hope it's worth the cost-- you know that goat's milk really does help the kids in their growth. I'm about halfway through The China Study, so I'm just not sure. The kids like them though, and they learn a lot about animals, nature, biology and responsibility taking care of the animals.
So glad we'll be moving. I hope it goes by quickly! The Lord really does watch out for us, but I don't really like growing and stretching. I'm glad in the end that I'm a better person with more understanding, but when I'm going through it, I just want it to be over. Patience, patience.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Easy Vegan Soaked Wheat Blender Pancakes
I have made these several times-- they are super easy and nutritious:
3 cups of soft white and hard red wheat mixed soaked about 24 hrs. and drained-- if you don't make them in that time, still drain the wheat and let it start to sprout-- too much of a sprout doesn't make good pancakes, but it's perfect for manna bread or soaked crackers which is what I do with the sprouts I don't use for batter
1/2 T each of baking soda and baking powder ( AL free)
1/2 of a ripe banana
1 1/2 cups of water
Pre-heat your pan or griddle at a medium low heat-- between 4 and 5 works great for me. Too hot-- they'll stick and be very frustrating. Then combine all the ingredients in a heavy duty blender like the vita-mix and blend until nice and smooth about a full minute. If you don't have a heavy duty blender then halve the recipe so it doesn't take forever mixing, but most blenders should be able to handle pancake batter. Grease your pan with cococut oil or palm oil as they don't break down under high heat. Pour the batter on the pans in the desired pancake shapes. Once they bubble-- turn 'em over and pile them on a plate.
We eat ours with 100% maple syrup, fruit if we have it and some organic margarine from the health food store. It takes about 3-4 batches to feed my growing family of 9 (including 2 babies who don't eat them yet). The hardest part is remembering to soak the wheat!
YUMMY!
3 cups of soft white and hard red wheat mixed soaked about 24 hrs. and drained-- if you don't make them in that time, still drain the wheat and let it start to sprout-- too much of a sprout doesn't make good pancakes, but it's perfect for manna bread or soaked crackers which is what I do with the sprouts I don't use for batter
1/2 T each of baking soda and baking powder ( AL free)
1/2 of a ripe banana
1 1/2 cups of water
Pre-heat your pan or griddle at a medium low heat-- between 4 and 5 works great for me. Too hot-- they'll stick and be very frustrating. Then combine all the ingredients in a heavy duty blender like the vita-mix and blend until nice and smooth about a full minute. If you don't have a heavy duty blender then halve the recipe so it doesn't take forever mixing, but most blenders should be able to handle pancake batter. Grease your pan with cococut oil or palm oil as they don't break down under high heat. Pour the batter on the pans in the desired pancake shapes. Once they bubble-- turn 'em over and pile them on a plate.
We eat ours with 100% maple syrup, fruit if we have it and some organic margarine from the health food store. It takes about 3-4 batches to feed my growing family of 9 (including 2 babies who don't eat them yet). The hardest part is remembering to soak the wheat!
YUMMY!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Herbal remedies
I have been reading a ton about herbal remedies and the uses of plants for all different sorts of things. My favorite information come s from Dr. Christopher and his School of Natural Healing. I can't justify spening the money on a full course but I have bought a bunch of herb books and I am learning a ton. I love plants and I love finding uses for them especially since I have been gardening challenged but not weed or herb challenged. I have a fabulous herb garden and some nice weeds.
Here are some I have been using recently:
Comfrey-- as a salve for eczema and blemishes in the skin, I've also been adding it to our smoothies for its high calcium content. There is apparently some question as to its safety, but I think that used in moderation it is very beneficial and definitely very healing
Herbs high in calcium for nursing and growing children--- nettles, oat straw, horsetail, lobelia and comfrey -- I've been making a tea out of these aded with red raspberry especially when my body is feeling over taxed with the burden of nursing 2 babies full time and I add them to our morning smoothie. Lobelia is another one where it is recommended that it be used carefully.
Colds and illness--- I always use echinacea and vitamin c, if it's really bad and not the kids I add cayenne, garlic and goldenseal
Tooth infection--- I use colloidal silver, garlic oil, clove oil mixed with white oak bark all applied to the affected area and then make a water rinse with a couple drops of spearmint oil
Mosquito repellant-- water mixed with a few drops of citronella essential oil and put in a spray bottle to cover exposed skin while camping-- works great and so much nicer than that stinky off stuff
Plantain-- rub leaves on any kind of bite or sting-- I blended some with some comfrey oil to rub on my daughter's eczema-- worked great also worked for the mosquito bite I got before the citronella stuff was sprayed
Hurray for herbs! I'm really enjoying learning about all the things they are good for. I will definitely be planting more of them and learning how to make my own tinctures and salves.
Www.herbal legacy.com. Is a great resource on the web as well as the books recommended by the school of natural healing and their free newsletter and www.mountainroseherbs.com is a great place to buy them and check out their books for sale too. Very fun and empowering.
Here are some I have been using recently:
Comfrey-- as a salve for eczema and blemishes in the skin, I've also been adding it to our smoothies for its high calcium content. There is apparently some question as to its safety, but I think that used in moderation it is very beneficial and definitely very healing
Herbs high in calcium for nursing and growing children--- nettles, oat straw, horsetail, lobelia and comfrey -- I've been making a tea out of these aded with red raspberry especially when my body is feeling over taxed with the burden of nursing 2 babies full time and I add them to our morning smoothie. Lobelia is another one where it is recommended that it be used carefully.
Colds and illness--- I always use echinacea and vitamin c, if it's really bad and not the kids I add cayenne, garlic and goldenseal
Tooth infection--- I use colloidal silver, garlic oil, clove oil mixed with white oak bark all applied to the affected area and then make a water rinse with a couple drops of spearmint oil
Mosquito repellant-- water mixed with a few drops of citronella essential oil and put in a spray bottle to cover exposed skin while camping-- works great and so much nicer than that stinky off stuff
Plantain-- rub leaves on any kind of bite or sting-- I blended some with some comfrey oil to rub on my daughter's eczema-- worked great also worked for the mosquito bite I got before the citronella stuff was sprayed
Hurray for herbs! I'm really enjoying learning about all the things they are good for. I will definitely be planting more of them and learning how to make my own tinctures and salves.
Www.herbal legacy.com. Is a great resource on the web as well as the books recommended by the school of natural healing and their free newsletter and www.mountainroseherbs.com is a great place to buy them and check out their books for sale too. Very fun and empowering.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Simple, Healthy, Tasty blog
I have been visiting this blog regularly and have tried a few of her recipes and ideas. They have all been great. Her philosophy on food seems to match mine pretty well. Basically we stay away from all the food additives which means anything prepackaged except for a few things at the health food store, we stay away from meat and dairy and refined sugars also. I serve green almond smoothies for breakfast a lot, and we eat a lot of fruit and a lot of dark green leafy salads in addition to the regular vegan type meals like oatmeal for breakfast, rice dishes, Mexican rice and beans, hummus,Italian, potatoes etc. This blog is full of great practical recipes for a family which I have very much appreciated-- plus they're good!!!
We especially like the honey peanut butter popcorn, the sunflower seed sour cream, the ginger snaps, snickerdoodles and the inspiration to remind me of the many yummy Mexican type meals there are as well as pizza and cinnamon rolls and such. I go there often for inspiratiion on what to make for dinner!! I even added a button and a link on my sidebar.
www.simplehealthytasty.blogspot.com
We especially like the honey peanut butter popcorn, the sunflower seed sour cream, the ginger snaps, snickerdoodles and the inspiration to remind me of the many yummy Mexican type meals there are as well as pizza and cinnamon rolls and such. I go there often for inspiratiion on what to make for dinner!! I even added a button and a link on my sidebar.
www.simplehealthytasty.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
How to make Manna Bread
For those of you not familiar with Manna bread, you can buy it at your local health food store in the freezer section. It is about $3 per loaf and it is not a big loaf, but it is yummy. The only ingredients are sprouted grains and whatever fruit, nut or veggie type flavor you choose. Our favorite is by far carrot raisin. Anyway, it is a gooey sticky kind of bread and rather sweet. All my kids like it except for the one picky eater who now suddenly likes lentils-- anyway, my husband doesn't really like it either, but I love it!! It is so healthy I hate to refuse any to my kids and after my last purchase I determined that I needed to figure out how to make the stuff consistently--not being pregnant helps!! And you need the right tools.
So here it is for plain manna bread since I keep forgetting to buy raisins I haven't attempted the carrot raisin loaf yet:
Soak red wheat and white wheat berries overnight to sprout
Drain them in the morning and let them start to grow
They are ready to use as soon as you see the little sprouts grow
Remember to rinse them preferably twice a day-- I use a colander and leave them in it a lot of times
Don't wait too long to use them, try to use them before they get real big 1 1/2-2 days of growing after soaking overnight is ideal
Here is the secret: Run the sprouts through a champion type juicer with the blank plate, my brand is something green I bought at Good Earth, this makes a dough. Then with wet hands shape the dough into small loaves about the size and shape of the kind you can buy, put them on a cookie sheet and let them bake at 250 F for 2-3 hours. I have been doing it at 3 hours but the crust is rather dry and tastes like Grape-nuts so 2 hours may be long enough. That's it!! Healthy and Cheap!!
So here it is for plain manna bread since I keep forgetting to buy raisins I haven't attempted the carrot raisin loaf yet:
Soak red wheat and white wheat berries overnight to sprout
Drain them in the morning and let them start to grow
They are ready to use as soon as you see the little sprouts grow
Remember to rinse them preferably twice a day-- I use a colander and leave them in it a lot of times
Don't wait too long to use them, try to use them before they get real big 1 1/2-2 days of growing after soaking overnight is ideal
Here is the secret: Run the sprouts through a champion type juicer with the blank plate, my brand is something green I bought at Good Earth, this makes a dough. Then with wet hands shape the dough into small loaves about the size and shape of the kind you can buy, put them on a cookie sheet and let them bake at 250 F for 2-3 hours. I have been doing it at 3 hours but the crust is rather dry and tastes like Grape-nuts so 2 hours may be long enough. That's it!! Healthy and Cheap!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Life Progression -- Marriage, Homemaking, Health
Life has been very interesting to me. Some things in my life have turned out way better than I could have ever imagined and some things have not turned out how I thought they would at all. I turned 34 years old last Monday, so I'll try not to make this a memoir since I hope I won't be dying anytime soon. But I do want to recognize how far I've come in my life and how grateful I am for progression and learning and improvement, and especially for the love and mercy of God in being patient with me and blessing me tremendously and many times through other people.
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
Marriage
My most treasured blessing is my darling family, my husband and children. I had some attitudes as a teenager that could have easily interfered this blessing that I now treasure and enjoy so much. There was a lot I had to overcome personally in order to be ready to receive this blessing. Getting married was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I had zero desire to marry after watching the sad problems of my parents who divorced a year after I married. But I will be eternally grateful to my Father in Heaven for guiding me and placing me with people and in situations that would help me change my attitude and perspective on marriage. The bottom line when I met my husband though, was that there was no other way to be with him than to marry him, so although I didn't like the idea of being married, I really liked the idea of being with him now and forever. This blessing is the one that has turned out to be way better than anything I could have imagined on my own. I thank the Lord everyday, because I know how close I was to missing it. And I know how sad and lonely it is to not have confidence in your family. I will post more on this subject in the future for the few out there who may be a little like I was. Getting married to the right person at the right time in the right place is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo worth it!!
Homemaking
The reason I originally started writing this post was for the cleaning part, but I had to put that plug in for marriage first -- so anyway--- .. My life has been a huge progression. I have learned a ton every year. Most recently, I have rediscovered FLYLADY. She has taught me how to get control of my house and my life and be able to accomplish all my lofty goals.
I started in January after my homeschooling sister-in-law raved over what a difference it was making for them. I had read the FLYLADY stuff before, but didn't follow it to the letter, just took the things I thought applied to me and left the rest like dress to your shoes every morning. Now though, I was desperate and in serious need of some help if I was going to be able to eat healthy, grow a garden, homeschool 5 kids and clean the house. I had pretty much given up the idea of ever having a clean house, but I decided to follow everything she said to the letter, and she was right--- I CAN do it!!! She is so encouraging too which was so helpful to me so that I wouldn't give up when I couldn't do everything. It took me a while to get the daily routines down, but over time I got them and was then able to add more. One little Babystep at a time as she calls it. My house looks and feels so much better. It's amazing what getting ready in the morning will do for a person. It's amazing how much better the kitchen looks when I close all the cupboards and take 2 minutes to clear out the hotspots around the house. I feel so much better. I can do a lot of things, but I was definitely failing in this area. I grew up with a maid and I get sidetracked very easily and I was not born organized. It has never seemed appealing to me. But I am overcoming, thanks to Fly Lady and her clear explanations and lists of what to do. To a person who this does not come naturally to, lists are very important even including things like fix your hair, put on your make-up, figure out what you are going to make for dinner, etc. I have a ways to go, but I think I am on the right track. I just love it. Thank you Fly Lady.
Progression
Speaking of tracks, I think that is the important part of life. It's not where you are that is important so much as which direction you are headed. For example, someone could know and be doing a lot more than I am at this time, but if they are letting things slip or not improving and moving forward, then they are not headed in the right direction and eventually things will start to fall apart. My house may not look ordered and cared for, but if I am on the right track and improving each day, then eventually things will all come together and stay that way as I continue to improve and move forward. Maybe that's a little of what we're witnessing in our country today. We have been the greatest country, but we have not been on the right track that made us great, and now we are finally reaping the consequence of not being on the right track. I hope that makes sense, just let me know if you are totally confused.
Health
Lastly I wanted to talk about cleansing the body. For me, changing my diet has been life-saving. Basically what I do is focus on eating lots of dark green leafy salads, at least 2 a day and a green smoothie in the morning especially for the kids, and cutting out most dairy, meat and chemical laden products. I pretty much have to make everything, but it is easy now and we enjoy our meals. I could tell that my body was run down and not functioning properly. So this has been the other blessing I am truly thankful for. My body is not perfect still, but I am so much better off than I was. And I am on the right track. It was an extremely difficult transition and especially hard on extended family who show their love by sharing their food. Unfortunately it was that kind of food that was preventing me from accomplishing my goals and desires because of the undercover damage it caused. I've gone pretty slow, and I had to remember that although I wasn't perfect, I was a lot better than I had been the month before, and I was on the right track. So although it was a tough transition, now that I am benefiting so much from the results, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll post more on that also sometime. I have a couple recipes on www.greattimetolive.com which I'll try to update and organize a little better. this also deserves a much longer explanation and post, but that will be for another day.
Thank you to all the all the people who have helped me so much in so many areas. I hope I can reciprocate by sharing and helping others.
DAG!!! (That means hello, good-bye, greetings, in Dutch)
Monday, March 16, 2009
Help for a Bladder Infection
I am prone to bladder infections, but I have learned to manage them. The last time I had one was right after my 3rd child was born, I took antibiotics and then it turned into a yeast infection and thrush between the 2 of us for about 6 weeks. It was very painful and we finally recovered after taking Diflucan. We tried everything I knew of and I hope none of us ever get a yeast infection again.
Anyway, after that lovely experience I found that if I took cranberry extract or pills right when I felt one coming on, it would go away. It seemed that if I could catch the ailment in the very beginning stages, the herbs would make it go away.
However, this week I let it go too far before I started my herbal regimen, mostly because I was out and about and not home where I could chug the fluids and herbs. I had a full fledged painful infection. I again consulted my How to Herb Book, So this time in addition to the cranberry I added a kidney and bladder mix of herbs at the health food store and mixed equal amounts of echinacea, goldenseal, cayenne and yarrow flower powder into a small cup of water. That is so nasty, I will have to put it in capsules next time. I also took Emergen-C mixed with a small amount of water and colloidial silver and lomatium extract, which is really strong. I also ate several garlic cloves straight over a couple days. The worst thing I did and I do not recommend this is to take 2 capsules of cayenne at about the same time I took the Lomatium. That made my stomach whirl and I was sick for a good 20 min. I felt better when that was over. The good thing is that the nasty flavors paid off, I didn't have to take antibiotics, and I am pretty much over it!! One more day of lots of water and yucky herbs!! yay!!
The really great thing I am learning about herbs is that they are all just different plants. Some of them are easier to grow and harvest than others, but they are just plants. I can go down to my local health food store and they have most all of them dried and ground into powder or just dried and crushed for tea. So I don't have to know exactly what it is, but I can still buy it and take it and they really do help. Especially if you catch your sickness in the beginning stages. That echinacea is good stuff!! Just wanted to share something that worked for me. I don't know if it would help you!!
Anyway, after that lovely experience I found that if I took cranberry extract or pills right when I felt one coming on, it would go away. It seemed that if I could catch the ailment in the very beginning stages, the herbs would make it go away.
However, this week I let it go too far before I started my herbal regimen, mostly because I was out and about and not home where I could chug the fluids and herbs. I had a full fledged painful infection. I again consulted my How to Herb Book, So this time in addition to the cranberry I added a kidney and bladder mix of herbs at the health food store and mixed equal amounts of echinacea, goldenseal, cayenne and yarrow flower powder into a small cup of water. That is so nasty, I will have to put it in capsules next time. I also took Emergen-C mixed with a small amount of water and colloidial silver and lomatium extract, which is really strong. I also ate several garlic cloves straight over a couple days. The worst thing I did and I do not recommend this is to take 2 capsules of cayenne at about the same time I took the Lomatium. That made my stomach whirl and I was sick for a good 20 min. I felt better when that was over. The good thing is that the nasty flavors paid off, I didn't have to take antibiotics, and I am pretty much over it!! One more day of lots of water and yucky herbs!! yay!!
The really great thing I am learning about herbs is that they are all just different plants. Some of them are easier to grow and harvest than others, but they are just plants. I can go down to my local health food store and they have most all of them dried and ground into powder or just dried and crushed for tea. So I don't have to know exactly what it is, but I can still buy it and take it and they really do help. Especially if you catch your sickness in the beginning stages. That echinacea is good stuff!! Just wanted to share something that worked for me. I don't know if it would help you!!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Some good recipe and info links
I found these 2 websites, I'm sure there are others, but they have info. I mostly agree with and some good recipes:
http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com
http://simplehealthytasty.blogspot.com/
My recipe blog is at www.greattimetolive.com, it's not that great, I need to update it, but those are some of our standby favorites. Lentil tacos are always a favorite with the salsa and guacamole-- those recipes are on that blog.
http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com
http://simplehealthytasty.blogspot.com/
My recipe blog is at www.greattimetolive.com, it's not that great, I need to update it, but those are some of our standby favorites. Lentil tacos are always a favorite with the salsa and guacamole-- those recipes are on that blog.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Weight Loss -- Long Explanation
I have been looking at blogs a lot recently. I think people are so interesting. I love people. One thing I've noticed is that there are a lot of weight loss blogs. I guess there are a lot of us who need and want to look an feel better, and I want to share what has worked for me.
First of all, let me give you some background. I have always been extremely health conscious. I ran Cross Country in high school and played other team sports. My teammates and I gave up carbonated sodas and I took myself off sugar for 6 months when I was a junior in high school because I could tell that I was eating it just because it was there and not because I even liked it. When my family went out to eat, I mostly chose the healthiest thing on the menu.
When I was in college I ate as healthy as I knew how. I remember one of my roommates and I got sores in our mouths from eating so much healthy sugary fruits we were so health conscious. Even so I gained those 5-10 freshman lbs. I found that if I just ran more, the weight would go away, and being as young as I was, life was good.
Then when I got married I continued to run and I started learning how to cook for real. I often produced sub-par meals trying to substitute out the fat and sugar. Eventually I learned to follow the recipe and instead of adapting recipes, to find recipes that were healthy to begin with. Each year of marriage I seemed to learned a little more about nutrition. I started cutting out the partially hydrogenated oils, the high fructose corn syrup and the preservatives and food colorings. It was frustrating to find that I had to make most of our food in order to avoid these things. It was also frustrating to gain 50 lbs. with each of my pregnancies. I followed the recommended pregnancy diets to the letter and I still gained 50 lbs. each time, which translated to 20-30 lbs. of hard core weight that I needed to lose after each pregnancy!!
But I was determined, and I was able to lose those baby pounds, but it was hard and it took will power. I would lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I would be really careful about portion size and count my calories and I would stay far away from any kind of desserts and I would run. I usually lost the weight in time for the next baby. I did that 3 times, and after the 4th baby, I didn't know if I could do it again.
I was extremely tired and had low energy and I just didn't know if I could muster that kind of will power again. And that's when my husband and I listened to Tony Robbins health program. I was extremely hesistant when I found out that Tony was mostly vegetarian, because I was already going against the grain so much in my political and educational views, I wasn't sure I wanted to be any more different that I already was. But Tony challenged us to just try it for 7-10 days. All we had to do was cut out meat, dairy, refined sugar and drugs, coffee, alcohol and eat more alkaline foods which are --you guessed it-- fruits and vegetables especially those dark leafy green ones. The drugs, coffee and alcohol was already taken care of being Mormon and having the Word of Wisdom, but the meat and dairy was new. Aren't they full of healthy protein and calcium after all?
Well, after one week of trying it out, we could never go back, we felt so much better. And now I was "weirder" than any one else I associated with in every respect. Oh well, I felt better. I started on a journey of finding vegan recipes my family would eat. It was really hard. I would spend hours to make this gourmet meal only to find that everybody despised curry. I would have 3 tiny kids asking me for food and I didn't know what to give them!! It was hard, but it was worth it. Two of my kids' eczema disappeared. One of them we thought was allergic to berries, turns out, it was the milk. I also started drinking a powdered green drink full of dehydrated wheat grass and vegetables and trying to follow the guidelines of the PH Miracle book since that was who Tony was working with for his health guidelines. That made a huge difference for me. I lost my baby weight in 2-3 months instead of 6-8. I didn't have to take a 2 hour nap each day. I was amazed at how much I could accomplish in a day. My breastmilk was so much thicker and satisfying to my new baby. It was great!! My husband did a Ph Miracle cleanse and lost 40 lbs in a month.
I had a another baby after that, but I was a little disappointed to find that I had some worries I hadn't had with my other pregnancies. It all corrected myself, but with all this work, I thought I shouldn't have any worries. Well, I was healthy and happy, but again I couldn't lose those last 10 baby weight pounds. I ate even less than before and exercised more and still no luck. Then I started to slowly gain weight and I knew something must be wrong.
So my husband offered to do another PH Miracle cleanse with me since it is really hard to make dinner and cleanse at the same time. That was really great of him. It worked for the first couple days, but then I could feel the same thing happening as before and I emailed Dr. Young to find out what he thought of it and he told me I was constipated. So I tried an Epsom salt flush and when that didn't help, I turned to Vicki Talmage since I had taken a raw food class from her months before. Refer to my cleansing post.
So this is a rather long explanation to say that for me, lots of raw dark, green leafy salads with kale, collards, chard, spinach, and dark lettuces have contributed to my new found health and weight loss. I weigh about the same as I did my freshman year of college before the freshman weight gain and my clothes are very loose, I really should go buy some new ones. I try to drink a gallon of pure water each day. I am working on growing wheat grass and I drink green smoothies. My colon has been cleared out, but it still needs help with herbs to flush through it. Eventually it will work well on its own. I'm getting better at growing wheat grass and I'm trying to also drink a quart of rejuvelac each day. My 2 year old is only other family member who likes it at this point, but I love it!! Baked beets, the red dye from the beets has helped to clear my colon and so has watermelon. These are from recommendations that Vicki has given me and they seem to have worked. Soaked almonds and flax seeds in the smoothies also help with energy. And the best thing about it, is that it is not hard. It doesn't require the willpower I used to have to exert because I can feel the difference and the old foods don't even tempt me. I have zero desire for any of it, because I know what it will do to my body.
So there you have it, my life long journey to learn to eat healthily. It's rather simple really. Just eat a lot of salad especially before you eat anything else and you will probably be able to tell a difference. I think weight loss needs to be more than just how you look, I think it should be a quest for true health and well-being. I am also happy to report that I now have friends who are as "weird" as me and as more and more people try it out and feel the difference, it will eventually become the new norm.
good luck and good night!!
First of all, let me give you some background. I have always been extremely health conscious. I ran Cross Country in high school and played other team sports. My teammates and I gave up carbonated sodas and I took myself off sugar for 6 months when I was a junior in high school because I could tell that I was eating it just because it was there and not because I even liked it. When my family went out to eat, I mostly chose the healthiest thing on the menu.
When I was in college I ate as healthy as I knew how. I remember one of my roommates and I got sores in our mouths from eating so much healthy sugary fruits we were so health conscious. Even so I gained those 5-10 freshman lbs. I found that if I just ran more, the weight would go away, and being as young as I was, life was good.
Then when I got married I continued to run and I started learning how to cook for real. I often produced sub-par meals trying to substitute out the fat and sugar. Eventually I learned to follow the recipe and instead of adapting recipes, to find recipes that were healthy to begin with. Each year of marriage I seemed to learned a little more about nutrition. I started cutting out the partially hydrogenated oils, the high fructose corn syrup and the preservatives and food colorings. It was frustrating to find that I had to make most of our food in order to avoid these things. It was also frustrating to gain 50 lbs. with each of my pregnancies. I followed the recommended pregnancy diets to the letter and I still gained 50 lbs. each time, which translated to 20-30 lbs. of hard core weight that I needed to lose after each pregnancy!!
But I was determined, and I was able to lose those baby pounds, but it was hard and it took will power. I would lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I would be really careful about portion size and count my calories and I would stay far away from any kind of desserts and I would run. I usually lost the weight in time for the next baby. I did that 3 times, and after the 4th baby, I didn't know if I could do it again.
I was extremely tired and had low energy and I just didn't know if I could muster that kind of will power again. And that's when my husband and I listened to Tony Robbins health program. I was extremely hesistant when I found out that Tony was mostly vegetarian, because I was already going against the grain so much in my political and educational views, I wasn't sure I wanted to be any more different that I already was. But Tony challenged us to just try it for 7-10 days. All we had to do was cut out meat, dairy, refined sugar and drugs, coffee, alcohol and eat more alkaline foods which are --you guessed it-- fruits and vegetables especially those dark leafy green ones. The drugs, coffee and alcohol was already taken care of being Mormon and having the Word of Wisdom, but the meat and dairy was new. Aren't they full of healthy protein and calcium after all?
Well, after one week of trying it out, we could never go back, we felt so much better. And now I was "weirder" than any one else I associated with in every respect. Oh well, I felt better. I started on a journey of finding vegan recipes my family would eat. It was really hard. I would spend hours to make this gourmet meal only to find that everybody despised curry. I would have 3 tiny kids asking me for food and I didn't know what to give them!! It was hard, but it was worth it. Two of my kids' eczema disappeared. One of them we thought was allergic to berries, turns out, it was the milk. I also started drinking a powdered green drink full of dehydrated wheat grass and vegetables and trying to follow the guidelines of the PH Miracle book since that was who Tony was working with for his health guidelines. That made a huge difference for me. I lost my baby weight in 2-3 months instead of 6-8. I didn't have to take a 2 hour nap each day. I was amazed at how much I could accomplish in a day. My breastmilk was so much thicker and satisfying to my new baby. It was great!! My husband did a Ph Miracle cleanse and lost 40 lbs in a month.
I had a another baby after that, but I was a little disappointed to find that I had some worries I hadn't had with my other pregnancies. It all corrected myself, but with all this work, I thought I shouldn't have any worries. Well, I was healthy and happy, but again I couldn't lose those last 10 baby weight pounds. I ate even less than before and exercised more and still no luck. Then I started to slowly gain weight and I knew something must be wrong.
So my husband offered to do another PH Miracle cleanse with me since it is really hard to make dinner and cleanse at the same time. That was really great of him. It worked for the first couple days, but then I could feel the same thing happening as before and I emailed Dr. Young to find out what he thought of it and he told me I was constipated. So I tried an Epsom salt flush and when that didn't help, I turned to Vicki Talmage since I had taken a raw food class from her months before. Refer to my cleansing post.
So this is a rather long explanation to say that for me, lots of raw dark, green leafy salads with kale, collards, chard, spinach, and dark lettuces have contributed to my new found health and weight loss. I weigh about the same as I did my freshman year of college before the freshman weight gain and my clothes are very loose, I really should go buy some new ones. I try to drink a gallon of pure water each day. I am working on growing wheat grass and I drink green smoothies. My colon has been cleared out, but it still needs help with herbs to flush through it. Eventually it will work well on its own. I'm getting better at growing wheat grass and I'm trying to also drink a quart of rejuvelac each day. My 2 year old is only other family member who likes it at this point, but I love it!! Baked beets, the red dye from the beets has helped to clear my colon and so has watermelon. These are from recommendations that Vicki has given me and they seem to have worked. Soaked almonds and flax seeds in the smoothies also help with energy. And the best thing about it, is that it is not hard. It doesn't require the willpower I used to have to exert because I can feel the difference and the old foods don't even tempt me. I have zero desire for any of it, because I know what it will do to my body.
So there you have it, my life long journey to learn to eat healthily. It's rather simple really. Just eat a lot of salad especially before you eat anything else and you will probably be able to tell a difference. I think weight loss needs to be more than just how you look, I think it should be a quest for true health and well-being. I am also happy to report that I now have friends who are as "weird" as me and as more and more people try it out and feel the difference, it will eventually become the new norm.
good luck and good night!!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Help for Pink Eye or Conjunctivitis
I want to share this tidbit of info that I have found to be very useful especially during this yucky cold inverted air weather:
Colloidial silver helps a ton with pink eye or conjunctivitis. Little children will get that goopey eye if they wipe the mucus from their runny nose up to their eyes. It seems like it takes so long to get over it, and the last time I got a prescription for it, one of the listed side effects of the medicine was death. So I am very glad to report that we haven't had to use any prescription medications for this ailment since I learned about using colloidial silver.
At the first sign of any goop, I clean it out and put about 3 drops of colloidial silver in each eye. It usually only takes about a day for it to clear up, and it is no big deal. Very good stuff.
I just had one incident with it though where I didn't catch the goop soon enough. My little boy couldn't open his eyes and they were swollen and goopey. It was very sad. But we cleaned them out and started the silver. Sure enought the next day they were still goopey but looked way better, but then the next day they seemed to worsen again. I decided we needed more help because I really didn't want to go the doctor and get a prescription. So I checked my The How to Herb book and my Prescription for Nutritional Healing book and went to Health store and bought some loose eyebright powder, chamomile powder, goldenseal and bayberry ( I have learned that buying herbs loose and separately is way more economical than in the capsules). I also bought the Herbs for Kids brand of Echinacea/Eyebright tinture.
I made a tea out of the herbs and soaked a washcloth in the tea and used it to clean out his eyes. Then I gave him the drops of silver in each eye and a dropperful of the Echinacea/Eyebright tincture. 2 of my other kids also looked liked their eyes were a bit pink, so I gave everybody a dropperful of tincture and put silver drops in the kids with pink eyes. Everybody got wheatgrass juice, soup, a multivitamin and vitamin C. Then I kept his eyes cleaned out with the tea and continued with the drops and tincture whenever his eyes started to look bad again, sometimes every hour. And I am extremely happy to report that this approach seemed to work for us, because my poor little guy is looking and feeling way better today. His eyes are not nearly as swollen and red, and the goop is almost gone, we've only had to use the drops and tincture twice today so far. And the other 2 who looked like they might get it are all cleared up. Yay!! It worked!!
Note on Colloidial Silver: The friend who told me about it bought a kit to make it, but it turns out that if you make it yourself, you can't control the parts per million, ppm. I think it is safer to just buy it. I used 2 brands, one was 14 ppm and one was 15 ppm. I don't think it really matters, you just probably don't want 150 ppm!! The people who turn blue using colloidial silver look like they were using it everyday, not just when sick and one of them it looked like had been making his own. It works as a anti viral, anti fungal and anti bacterial, and it works best as a preventive measure.
Colloidial silver helps a ton with pink eye or conjunctivitis. Little children will get that goopey eye if they wipe the mucus from their runny nose up to their eyes. It seems like it takes so long to get over it, and the last time I got a prescription for it, one of the listed side effects of the medicine was death. So I am very glad to report that we haven't had to use any prescription medications for this ailment since I learned about using colloidial silver.
At the first sign of any goop, I clean it out and put about 3 drops of colloidial silver in each eye. It usually only takes about a day for it to clear up, and it is no big deal. Very good stuff.
I just had one incident with it though where I didn't catch the goop soon enough. My little boy couldn't open his eyes and they were swollen and goopey. It was very sad. But we cleaned them out and started the silver. Sure enought the next day they were still goopey but looked way better, but then the next day they seemed to worsen again. I decided we needed more help because I really didn't want to go the doctor and get a prescription. So I checked my The How to Herb book and my Prescription for Nutritional Healing book and went to Health store and bought some loose eyebright powder, chamomile powder, goldenseal and bayberry ( I have learned that buying herbs loose and separately is way more economical than in the capsules). I also bought the Herbs for Kids brand of Echinacea/Eyebright tinture.
I made a tea out of the herbs and soaked a washcloth in the tea and used it to clean out his eyes. Then I gave him the drops of silver in each eye and a dropperful of the Echinacea/Eyebright tincture. 2 of my other kids also looked liked their eyes were a bit pink, so I gave everybody a dropperful of tincture and put silver drops in the kids with pink eyes. Everybody got wheatgrass juice, soup, a multivitamin and vitamin C. Then I kept his eyes cleaned out with the tea and continued with the drops and tincture whenever his eyes started to look bad again, sometimes every hour. And I am extremely happy to report that this approach seemed to work for us, because my poor little guy is looking and feeling way better today. His eyes are not nearly as swollen and red, and the goop is almost gone, we've only had to use the drops and tincture twice today so far. And the other 2 who looked like they might get it are all cleared up. Yay!! It worked!!
Note on Colloidial Silver: The friend who told me about it bought a kit to make it, but it turns out that if you make it yourself, you can't control the parts per million, ppm. I think it is safer to just buy it. I used 2 brands, one was 14 ppm and one was 15 ppm. I don't think it really matters, you just probably don't want 150 ppm!! The people who turn blue using colloidial silver look like they were using it everyday, not just when sick and one of them it looked like had been making his own. It works as a anti viral, anti fungal and anti bacterial, and it works best as a preventive measure.
Monday, February 2, 2009
What is Rejuvelac?
Rejuvelac is a super healthy drink made out of soft white wheat sprouts (you can make it with any grain, but soft white wheat tastes the best).
1- First you sprout the wheat for about 2 days, I've had success making it with sprouts that are even 3 days old. The wheat just needs a tiny little sprout, not like what you see in the stores. If you won't get to the sprouts before they get too big, you can store them in the fridge and they'll be fine for a week or so.
2-Then you put about 1-2 cups of sprouts in your blender filled with pure water and blend them together for about 10 seconds just to break them up.
3-Then you pour the sprout/water mixture into your container of choice and fill that to the top with more pure water. Then you cover it with a towel if you have time and let it sit for 6-24 hrs. I prefer glass containers, I have used glass bowels before, but now I prefer 2 half gallon jars and one glass pitcher with a lid.
4-Strain the mixture into a clean jar and you have rejuvelac!! If it smells and tastes bad, it probably is. It should smell like sprouts and taste slightly lemony and may be slightly bubbly. The longer you let it sit the more bubbly and stronger-tasting it will get. This also means there is more enzymatic action.
Rejuvelac is supposed to be good for digestion and everything in your body. Ann Wigmore invented it when she got sick from testing the effects of GMO food on her body. The rejuvelac restored her back to good health after this test.
Rejevelac is what I drink when after a meal, I still don't feel quite satisfied or I feel thirsty and I don't want to drink water right away. It stabilizes me and makes me feel satisfied and better. The taste takes a little getting used to, but it's so worth it!!
Go try some rejuvelac, it's super easy to make once you have mastered the art of sprouting and it will make you feel so good!! Keep it in the fridge!!
1- First you sprout the wheat for about 2 days, I've had success making it with sprouts that are even 3 days old. The wheat just needs a tiny little sprout, not like what you see in the stores. If you won't get to the sprouts before they get too big, you can store them in the fridge and they'll be fine for a week or so.
2-Then you put about 1-2 cups of sprouts in your blender filled with pure water and blend them together for about 10 seconds just to break them up.
3-Then you pour the sprout/water mixture into your container of choice and fill that to the top with more pure water. Then you cover it with a towel if you have time and let it sit for 6-24 hrs. I prefer glass containers, I have used glass bowels before, but now I prefer 2 half gallon jars and one glass pitcher with a lid.
4-Strain the mixture into a clean jar and you have rejuvelac!! If it smells and tastes bad, it probably is. It should smell like sprouts and taste slightly lemony and may be slightly bubbly. The longer you let it sit the more bubbly and stronger-tasting it will get. This also means there is more enzymatic action.
Rejuvelac is supposed to be good for digestion and everything in your body. Ann Wigmore invented it when she got sick from testing the effects of GMO food on her body. The rejuvelac restored her back to good health after this test.
Rejevelac is what I drink when after a meal, I still don't feel quite satisfied or I feel thirsty and I don't want to drink water right away. It stabilizes me and makes me feel satisfied and better. The taste takes a little getting used to, but it's so worth it!!
Go try some rejuvelac, it's super easy to make once you have mastered the art of sprouting and it will make you feel so good!! Keep it in the fridge!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Raw Foods and Cleansing
I have been on a journey of healthy eating for a long time. I have always cared about health and nutrition and could go on and on about my journey. If you want the whole story e-mail me. I think it's very interesting.
But here's where I am now. I have just completed a third set of cleansing with colonics and herbs with Vicki Talmage. I am so grateful for her and her program and her knowledge and willingness to share. I highly recommend her book, From Bin to Banquet; it's full of information and recipes. I still cannot believe all the stuff we have gotten out of my colon over the past 6 months. My little potbelly is gone, my melasma is finally fading away, I haven't had a migraine in a very long time, and I feel good again. I am on the right path for me. I love my deep dark green leafy salads and dressings. I've been drinking rejuvelac and making seed cheese. I sprout lots of different grains, seeds and legumes. I make tasty healthy green smoothies in the morning. And I am well on my way to growing and juicing my own wheat grass. It is a really great place to be. I have spent a great deal of time on it especially these past 6 months, and I just wanted to share!!
But here's where I am now. I have just completed a third set of cleansing with colonics and herbs with Vicki Talmage. I am so grateful for her and her program and her knowledge and willingness to share. I highly recommend her book, From Bin to Banquet; it's full of information and recipes. I still cannot believe all the stuff we have gotten out of my colon over the past 6 months. My little potbelly is gone, my melasma is finally fading away, I haven't had a migraine in a very long time, and I feel good again. I am on the right path for me. I love my deep dark green leafy salads and dressings. I've been drinking rejuvelac and making seed cheese. I sprout lots of different grains, seeds and legumes. I make tasty healthy green smoothies in the morning. And I am well on my way to growing and juicing my own wheat grass. It is a really great place to be. I have spent a great deal of time on it especially these past 6 months, and I just wanted to share!!
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