Smoothie of the Day: Beets!

I love smoothies.  It is a great way to start the morning. Especially if you are like me and do not like to eat breakfast right when you get up or have a large meal first thing in the morning.

I love beets but do not like the hassle of peeling and cooking them.  On my last run to Costco, I found these organic roasted beets that are shelf stable.  

Not only are they pretty, but according to this Livestrong.com article, they are packed with nutrients, heart healthy, and may help prevent some chronic diseases.  What better way to start the morning than a boost like that?!

BEET SMOOTHIE

1/2 medium sized or one small precooked beet

1/4 avocado

1 hand full of baby spinach

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

enough walnut milk to get to the consistency and volume that you want, I use a bout 1 1/2 cups. 

optional:stevia or other sweetener to taste

Put all ingredients in a high speed blender and pulse until well blended,

Music Mondays: Sources for new music.

I don't know about you but I am always searching for new music.  Music, for me,  is an integral part of my day.  It makes chores more enjoyable.  It makes car rides better. It lifts my mood, when I am feeling down.  It enriches our lives in so many ways.  Maybe that is why I married a musician!

One of my favorite sources for new music is NPR Music.  I discovered my favorite band, Elephant Revival, on there and am so thankful for that. I will write more on this incredible band later but here is their new music video for Petals

Another one of my NPR favorites is A Prairie Home Companion  (APHC) I have been listening to this radio variety show for years.  Last year Garrison Keeler, retired and they very talented Chris Thile (of The Punch Brothers and Nickle Creek) took his place.  This came with some great musical changes of guests that I feel are targeting a younger audience.  There have been so many great guests this season including, Regina Spektor, The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jack White, Andrew Bird, The Shins, Jesca Hoop, to name a few.  AND,  one of my favorite things about the new APHC is that one of my favorite solo artists, Sarah Jarosz is on as a regular guest.  I discovered on PBS's Austin City Limits and finally was able to see her in concert this past summer at Interlochen in Michigan.  She didn't disappointment.

I am very sad to hear that #45 is starting the process to stop funding the National Endowment For The Arts.  I have used so many public sources to find new music.  While I give monthly to NPR and PBS, and I know many others do, I know they rely on the federal funds that they receive for most of their programing. Please consider donating here:  Donate NPR or PBS

What are some of your favorite sources for new music?

Sinusitis

The dry winter air has been reeking havoc on my sinuses.  I have been getting cracking in my nostrils and sinusitis (swelling in the sinuses).  I routinely use a neti pot and have used Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oils in the past with some relief.  A few months ago I found this great EO app on Google Play Ref. Guide for Essential Oils.  I looked up Sinusitis and decided to make a blend of the oils it had listed that I have on hand.  I ended up using castor oil as the carrier oil in a 50ml dropper bottle with 10 drops each of Eucalyptus Radiata, Eycalyptus Globuls, Rosemary, RC, Melaleuca Ericifolia , Peppermint, Sage, and Lemon.  I have been using two drops in my neti pot and also taking a cotton swab and coating the inside of my nostril with it 3 times a day.  Over the past week my nose has completely healed.  On top of that, my husband has been fighting a nasty cold so I also starting rubbing this on my face over the sinuses under my eyes (careful not to get in my eyes) figuring that it couldn't hurt.  I haven't been able to breath this well in weeks!!!!

I have my husband now using it to help him get over his cold, rubbing on his chest, face, and swabbing his nose.  

I am hoping this helps with my seasonal allergies, too!  I will let you know as that is right around the corner.

There is a burning in his heart and it ain't love.

My hubby suffers from heartburn.  He was taking a prescription medicine but we found out last year that proton pump inhibitors have some bad side effects.  We gave Digize Vitality a shot and it seems to be helping him.  I put 3 drops in a veggie capsule and fill the rest with grapeseed oil.  He has been taking them at night before going to bed. 

Young Living has a whole line of dietary supplement oils called Vitality! I also have been using a lot of them in cooking. Click here to see them all: Vitality

Natural Cleaners

Now that I am a Domestic Goddess again,  I am trying to get caught up on cleaning.  I didn't realize until I started how dirty my house had become.  I have been using natural cleaners for years but have not always been happy with the results.

Thankfully I had just ordered the Thieves Essential Rewards Kit which includes the following:

• Thieves essential oil blend, 15 ml
• Thieves AromaBright Toothpaste, 4 oz.
• Thieves Household Cleaner, 14.4 oz., 2 bottles
• Thieves Mouthwash, 8 oz.
• Thieves Foaming Hand Soap, 8 oz., 2 bottles
• Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier, 1 oz., 2 bottles
• Thieves Spray, 1 oz., 2 bottles

These are the cleaners I made yesterday:

Thieves surface cleaner:

In spray bottle:

1 cap full of Thieves cleaner

1 squirt of Bronner's Salsuds

10 drops of YL Citris Fresh 

10 Drops of YL Orange

20 Drops of YL Rosemary

Fill bottle 1/2 white vinegar and the rest with distilled water 

I use this on bathroom surfaces, my stove top, and my non-wood kitchen counters and as a spot cleaner on our hard surface floors (bamboo, cork, and Forbo Marmolium).

For the toilets:

1/2 cup of baking soda

1 cap full of Thieves Cleaner

2 cups of white vinegar 

10 drops of YL Citris Fresh or Orange

Glass cleaner:

1 14 oz glass spray bottle full of white vinegar 

10 drops of YL Lemon

10 drops of YL Orange

use newspaper instead of papertowel

This worked amazing!  The photo below is my husbands mirrored wardrobe which was covered in finger prints. I should have taken a before photo.  I also used this on the bathroom mirrors and on my window above my kitchen sink.  I worked beautifully to get all the splashes off. 

Wood cleaner:

I just squirted the wood with food safe mineral oil and about 5 drops of YL Orange Vitality (FDA approved for oral use, so safe for food areas)  

This stuff smells amazing, got all the gunk off my wood surfaces and conditions the wood.  I am going to try this on my bamboo and wood cutting boards!

Kitchen counter

What natural cleaners do you use?

Oily Journey

So,  I put in my two week notice at my JOB and am returning to my position as Domestic Goddess and going to try to build my Young Living lifestyle.

I have used essential oils for years.  About a year ago, a friend of mine introduced me to Young Living Oils.  They are all therapeutic grade and so much better, in my opinion, than the other high end oils I had been buying.  My collection has steadily grown to over 50 oils that I am currently using.  I will be posting a lot in the near future how I use all these wonderful oils to support my natural lifestyle.

In the meantime,  one of things that I love is if you order a starter kit, you get the wholesale prices for life, even if you do not want to sell them.  Here is a link to get that deal Young Living

There is also this cool thing called Essential Rewards where you can earn points to use for free products and also get free oils.  This is  the current monthly special:

I took advantage of that and ordered a Thieves Kit to try the pre-made Thieves products and some other oils that I wanted and got the maxium freebies for the month.  All of the oils on the left were free! 

I am really excited to try the Thieves cleaner, it is concentrated it will last a long time and you can make spray cleaner out of it.  

I will be posting recipes for things you can use YL oils for in the future.

Thank you for joining my on oily journey!

Starting Over

Now that I seem to have my histamine and allergy problems under control, I am starting over and making a commitment to get to healthy weight.  I recently started a PiYo class and in doing so made some new friends!  They also seem committed to living healthy but are doing so in a very balanced way from what I can tell.

I started using all of these products about 3 weeks ago and I have really noticed a difference in digestion and sinus and eye issues. I am still getting flushing but overall I am feeling really good. With no allergy symptoms even though I have heard other people complaining about them.  Spring is typically a VERY bad time for me but I have been doing great.

GAIA HERBS ADRENAL HEALTH LIQUID PHYTO-CAPSULES
TULSI (HOLY BASIL) TEA
YOGI GINGER TEA

FOUR SIGMATIC INSTANT REISHI SUPERFOOD MUSHROOM DRINK MIX

I just ordered some dried reishi pieces and am going to make my own tea and extract because it will be a lot cheaper. 
YOUNG LIVING OILS (DIFFUSING AND ORALLY)
               LEMON
               PEPPERMINT
               LAVENDER
               THYME
               GINGER
               FENNEL

NIGELLA SATIVA SEEDS

In addition to these,  I have been taking the following for a couple of years:

Calcium

Vitamin D

Vitamin C

B-complex

Probiotics

DOA

Maca 

Tumeric

Quercetin.

I also think that eating a lot of anti inflammatory foods is helping me regulate my system and stop the histamine reactions.  I am still taking Zyrtec and Singulair but when spring season is over, I am going to try to wean off those too.

So, my plan is:

1. To do PiYo twice a week and walk 5 times a week.

2. stay on a reduced carb diet.

3. Eat mainly whole fresh foods and low fat high quality meats and proteins.  

4. Lose at least 35 lbs. by the end of summer, that is about 2 lbs a week.  

And I am not going to get stressed about it because if I don't meet these goals, I can always start over!

Homade made Raman

The first thing I had to do was make Dashi.  Just One Cookbook  has an easy recipe for two kids of Dashi and for Furikake with the leftovers from making Dashi.  For the Furikake I did pan dehydrate it but it starting to burn so I popped in in the oven on parchment  200 degrees for 20 min until it was dehydrated.
 

Kombu soaking

First batch of Dashi

  

Furikake

Finished Furikake

While I was making the Dashi, I also pressed and dry fried some extra firm tofu and marinaded with a marinade for Chashu pork and also marinating soft boiled eggs for Ajitsuke Tamago

I used this Broth Recipe but adjusted it because I made the Dashi.   

Histamine Intolerance --food was making me sick

I have suffered with severe allergies all my life.  Not just seasonal allergies but weird rashes and reactions to things that I couldn't pin down.  I have undergone allergy testing and tried immunotherapy twice, but they were unable to get me up to a maintenance dose without me going into anaphylactic shock.  Allergy medications don't work well for my either.  I also have numerous organ systems diseases: endometriosis, adenomyosis, osteopenia, oesteoarthritis,  denegertive disc disease, migraine, IBS, chronic sinusitis/rhinitis to name a few.

About a year ago, I started suspecting that I had something like Fibromylasia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome because I was extremely tired all the time and had wide spread pain.  I started following a group on Facebook for people with chronic diseases and in chatting with someone on there, Mast Cell Disorders where brought to my attention.  So about two months ago,  I meant with my allergist and started doing some testing, medication and diet trials.  We are pretty sure I have Histamine Intolerance or HIT but there are no definitive tests, it is all diet and medication, trial and error.  I started on Zantec twice a day, Zertec once a day, Xyzal once a day, and Singular once a day.  It helped immensely but the more research I did the more I decided to try diet, supplements, and meditation following The Low Histamine Chef .  Please check out her blog for more information about HIT, the bucket theory, and some great recipes and books.

So today I am starting: to ween off the antihistamines; continuing on a low histamine diet; taking supplements including Vitamin C, B Complex, DAO enzyme, Quercetin, Vitamin D, Calcium, and probiotics that are low histamine.

While I have been eating healthy for years, I was not eating foods that were healthy for me.  I read that fermented food were good for you.  Not if you have HIT.  Along with a whole bunch of others.  This is the part of the list of foods that I have cut out and am slowly adding back into my diet a little at a time as to not overflow my histamine bucket.

Fermented foods or any kind
Canned foods
Leftovers unless immediately frozen
Meat ( unless extremely fresh, organic, free range)
No cured meats at all
Nightshade veggies(tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant)
mushrooms
Most processed foods
Any ages or cultured cheese
Wine

I basically had to change the way I was cooking but it has been a delicious adventure.


So instead of meat I have been making a lot of other protein based means like this dish before.  I am not cutting meat out entirely, just limiting it.   In the back of the plate are Pakoras, which a garbanzo bean base fritter, this one with shredded zucchini in it.  The veggies are kohlrabi, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots with Za'atar spice, and those are not mashed potatoes but mashed rutabaga which is lower in carbs and calories but just a delicious.

So I have decided to try to get my blog going again, mainly as a place to keep my recipes.  You welcome to come along on my journey to feeling better, I am already halfway there.  Enjoy!

I'm A Prepper: Surviving an Adult Tonsillectomy

I have been a life-long sufferer of alllergies, sinus problems, and cryptic tonsils.  This year my allergies have been especially bad, causing me to have even more sinus and tonsil problems.  I won't go into all those details as this post is more about what I am doing to survive the tonsillectomy.

After doing a shit ton of research, and finding some horrific recovery stories and some great tips,  I have purchased supplies that I am hoping will make my recovery much easier.

The main thing I learned from my research are:

STAY HYDRATED.  

My plan to help with this is to drink as much water as possible. In addition to that,  I am going to drink Vita Coconut Water instead. I do not like sports drinks because of all of the artificial dyes and sugar.   This is one of the only brands I could find that does not add some sort of citrus to it, which is a big NONO after a tonsillectomy.   I got two case at Costco for less than $2/liter. 

Other items I have purchased to help sooth and keep my throat moist (I hate this word but it applies here) are:

1. Coconut Oil:  this will help coat my throat and it has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/13-evidence-based-medicinal-properties-coconut-oil?page=2#_edn3

2.  Raw honey and Manuka Honey:  There were a couple of studies that I found where children that were given honey after tonsillectomy healed faster and had less pain.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3821146/ I also found that Manuka Honey from New Zeeland has many healing properties. http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/manuka-honey-medicinal-uses

3. Chamomile tea and marshmallow:  Chamomile tea has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties  Make sure it is pure chamomile to get the maximum benefits. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/chamomile-topic-overview  Marshmallow is great for coating raw, sore throats.  http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/marshmallow Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat and Yogi Throat Comfort are great teas that I have used in the past for sore throats.  

4.  Aloe Vera Juice:  The use for this is two fold.  Aloe has been use as a burn treatment and because I am having Coblation Tonsillectomy, which is essentially burning the tissue, I am hoping this will help.  It is also a natural laxative which will help with the constipation from the pain killers. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-aloe-vera

The other really important thing that my nurse told me is to make sure I get get enough nutrition.  She said they want me back on normal food as soon as possible.  The problem I am expecting with that is it is obviously going to be very difficult to swallow.   I complied this list from foods that other people listed that were easy to eat after surgery.  To ensure I get enough nutrients I picked up these food items:

1.  Garden of Life RAW meal replacement smoothies  I plan on blending these with almond milk and lots of ice.

2. Applesauce

3. Instant mashed potatoes

4. Jello

5. Mashed avocados

6. Scrambled eggs.

7. Over-cooked egg noodles with coconut oil (apparently these will "slide right down".

8. Chicken and veggies broths.

9. Oatmeal.

10. Almond Milk ( I don't drink cow milk and dairy products, including ice cream, are actually not good after tonsillectomy because they increase mucus production which is supposed to be awful).

11.  Non acidic juices, i.e. peach.  

12.  Lots of ice!

I will post when I feel up to it after surgery next week and let you know what worked for me.  

Upcycling: Glass Birdbaths

Last year I was at The Festival of the Arts in Grand Rapids, MI and saw some of these for sale.  I didn't want to pay what the lady was asking so I decided to make one for myself.  I had found the pieces for the green one last year but never got around to making it.  I just found them while spring cleaning, and since my craft room was clean, decided to make it.  My mother commented on how beautiful it was so I decided to make her one for Mother's Day.  While shopping at Sand Lake Thirty Treasures, a really cool store in Sand Lake, I found these beautiful blue pieces.  I was talking to the owner of the store and she also has another store that sells furniture and asked me to put some in on consignment. I will be making more in the future!

This one is for my mother.

This is the original one I make for myself.

This one might be for sale!

Chicken meatball wrap

Chicken meatball recipe: 2 boneless skinless breast (app 1lb)5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and all moisture squeezed out
6 tbsp egg whites
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt

preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cut up chicken into 2 inches pieces, put in food processor.  Put everything else BUT egg whites in food  processor and pulse until able to grind meat then process until almost all blended then add egg whites.

I used a ice cream scoop to make the balls and ended up with 18.  bake on a parchment lines baking sheet for 20, turn over and bake another 10 and they should be done.  serving size for the wraps are 3 meatballs (102 calories) and total calories for the wrap is 319 using Flatout bread light, spinach, Kraft Parmesan, and Fat Free mozzarella.  I used Meijer naturals crushed tomatoes and added spices and some stevia.

Reuse: chair cover

My daughter has High School Musical fold up chair that we decided to reuse when we redid her room.  I completed the slip cover today and am really happy with how it turned out.  I didn't even use a pattern.

This is before.

Back:  I used an loop and eye hook to secure the corner under the bow.

 Sewed the back and front of the back of the chair together so it will slip over the back and then just finished the seams.  It was a very easy project.

 Footstool is an extra pillow case over an IKEA stool with a ribbon to secure it. Reading area is complete!

Reflection in eye

new favorite photo taken on our vacation.  My daughters eye with my reflection in it.

Reflection of sky in water droplet on kohlrabi

Purple, Mustaches, and Paris

That is the theme for my daughter's room.  We are almost done so I wanted to post some updated photos.


I wanted to use a lot of the furniture we already had but she had a junior loft bed that she had outgrown.  We found this one used on Craiglist for $50.

I painted it and added new drawer pulls.  

I got the metal Eiffel Tower, metal letters (came with black ribbons which I switch out for purple), and fabric from Hobby Lobby on sale and the other wall hanging at Meijer on sale.  We had this bench in our Great Room and decided to move it in her room because it matched so well.  We also had the baskets which are from Ikea.  (I have to make the curtains yet with this fabric.  They will have purple ribbon tabs.) 

 Trunk and rugs I got on sale at Meijer.  White shelf for $1 at Goodwill.  The cubbies and shelving unit where from her old room, I painted them to update.

Blackboard paint is still curing but we are going to prep it this afternoon.  I also need to paint her door, which will be blackboard paint.  I used Valspar and am very happy with it.  I did the first coat with a roller but it splattered really bad (maybe wrong size nap?) so I brushed on the second coat.

 These were cubbies from her old room that I painted and are now nightstands.

I covered her switch plate with sheet ducktape, super easy and cute!

I will post more photos when we are done with the door and the built in shelving.  So excited with how this has turned out.

Renee's bedroom redo

We started redoing my daughter's room recently.  Well, we actually gutted our whole upstairs, so it is a huge project.  I decided rather than buy her a lot of new items to reuse as many as I could.  This involved a lot of painting.

She went with a black, eggshell, and deep purple Paris/mustache theme.  I got the comforter  and pillow sham at Costco for $19.99.  The Eiffel Tower painting and fur rugs at Meijer on 40% clearance, the fabric, ribbon, metal Eiffel and letters of her name at Hobby Lobby also on sale.

 This chair is a Hannah Montanna folding chair.  I am going to just finish the edges of this fabric and make a slip cover

  This footstool is pink plastic from IKEA.  I just threw a pillow case  over it and secured with the ribbons.  I did put some batting on the top so it is cushy. got black sheets and extra pillow cases on 50% clearance at Meijer.

These are two of the four cubby shelves she has.  

 I took two of them and spray painted them mostly black, except for the top shelf I painted purple.  I spray painted two of the bins eggshell.  For the cases with numbers.  These are her DVDs and Cds.  I stuck black construction paper in the fronts and applied mustache duck tape on the handles because they are blue.  The lamp I had purchased at Meijer for her old room on clearance for $2.00.  The bases was a bright blue and the shade was white with peace signs and flower.  I spray painted the shade with primer and then brushed on eggshell.  The base I painted Purple.

 These wood bins are from her old room and they were $10 each when I bought them years ago so I wanted to be able to reuse them.  They were light pink and lavender.  It took 3 coats of paint but I am really happy with them.

Still the process of painting this, needs one more coat.  It was white.  

I can't wait until the drywall is up and we can start painted.  Her walls are going to be this same eggshell except one wall with be blackboard. I think we are going to go with a faux bamboo laminate flooring.  We also have to do a bed for her.  I was thinking of making this one:  http://ana-white.com/2010/05/twin-storage-captains-bed but without the headboard and painted black.  Or we might make one out of LACK tables from IKEA.  

Stay tuned for updates!