Honey--more reasons to do things the natural way!

I've been using honey as my sweetener since we got rid of sugar in our house. I get it locally and raw. My basic health philosophy says things in a natural state are usually good for you. But this video explains how honey can help you sleep better--which can even help you learn better and lose weight. Guess I'm going to start having 2 Tbs. of honey every night--after all, I need my beauty sleep. I've been hearing so many people say how well it worked for them--I can't wait to try it.

Menu Make-over: making healthy meals even better!

Well, after 2 years of eating the same food, we decided it was time for a change. Partly b/c we were tired of some recipes, but also b/c we've discovered some allergies in my daughters that were making some recipes hard to fix.

So, this time I had made up a rating system for our current recipes. Mom, Dad, and older daughter got to rate each item from 0-3. Our three year old added a point to items she loves. As it turned out, we are keeping all the items that scored 7 or higher and getting rid of anything 4 or lower. Some of the middles may be back-up meals--I'm still working on it. Since I had 6 menus before I cut it down to 4 this way and am adding in a few other meals. I'm also planning one lunch meal a week (as in preparing something instead of having leftovers or Almond Butter and Jelly sandwiches.)

I'm also making several other improvements. My new menu includes when I'm buying a whole chicken to cook in my slower cooker and make broth. And that week has a soup recipe and a meal that requires chicken and broth for the sauce. The rest of the chicken and broth I can freeze.


My latest health improvement is making bread as I received a grain mill and Bosch mixer for Mother's Day and my birthday. YEAH! The fresh ground flour in recipes SO good. So, my menu includes making dough once a week for bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, pizza crust, and even hamburger buns (not all the same week!)

Another improvement is I'm actually planning on which meals to double and freeze and including this in my recipes and grocery list. AND I'm actually typing up my recipes and putting them in a binder in page protectors. (I did this the first time I made menus--but not with the second, most recent menus.)

I can't wait til I'm done! I'll have my very own cookbook. I plan to type up all my recipes I use and store my cookbooks away for the next time I decide to tweak my menus.

If you didn't catch my earlier post on menus, see Menu Planning Simple and Easy for how to get started.

So, anyone want to join me?

PS--I'm been on a summer sabbatical from blogging! Hopefully I'll get back to blogging more soon.

Healthy Perspectives--How eating healthy can change your worldview

I never expected that healing my body could result in so many shifts in perspective. Let me share a few of them with you:

Waste not, Want not...I think I should join the clean plate club. Not that I make anyone eat all of their food, I just don't throw it out. Why? B/c we actually are investing in good food--and it costs time, energy, and money--enough that we can't afford to waste it. So I want to sop up the sauce with my bread or scrap the bits of food out of the pan or save the 2 bites of food that no one is hungry for. Not out of food, but b/c I'm really liking my food! I have always been a bit of a saver in that I don't like to see things get thrown in the trash, but the shift has been in the value and importance of my food.

Fear Chemicals, Not Dirt... Cleanliness is important. I'm not about to drip juice from raw meat and leave it on my counter. But I'm not going to be cleaning with bleach either! I now worry more about antibacterial hand soap than the bacteria themselves. In the Bible times people simply used water--so I why do I need chemicals? I think it's b/c our bodies are weakened, so we don't fight off the germs well, but the chemicals only make them weaker.

We've gotten most chemicals in our home replaced, but you know it seems you can always find more! Like last week, I realized that that green strip on a razor is some sorta aftershave--when it gets wet--it has a soap-like texture. Who knows what it is since it doesn't seem to have a label. But it we can take medicine through a patch, why do we not worry about what we put on our skin???? So, I soaked my razor and scraped it off and plan to look for cheap razors that don't have that! Sounds crazy, I know, but after I go to the trouble to filter the chlorine out of my bath water and add Epsom salts and make the water very hot to help me detox, I can't stand the thought of adding who know what chemical in to the mix. Again, when it costs me something (time and money), I value it and protect it!

Have your perspectives changed any?

Healthy and convenient snack idea!

Great find! I love Lara bars--raw food with only 4 or so ingredients to take when out and about. Now I'll have to try making them at home following these instructions:

http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/02/home-made-lara-bars-energy-bars-part-3.html

I don't eat Lara bars much b/c of expense....maybe I can change that! :) Enjoy.

Vitamin E--Friend or Foe?

Some studies I saw recently said it could be harmful. Of course other studies show how great it is. Why do the experts not seem to agree? Is it b/c it's so complicated? Actually, I think it has much to do with the way vitamins are made in general. Very few companies actually test the products the labs make for them and many labs are careless. They don't always use high quality ingredients. They also make many different products with the same machines, so the products are contaminated from other products or harsh cleaners. And then there's the fact that God didn't make vitamins in isolation, but as a part of the whole.

So, overall, whole foods are always a better choice. And don't forget that organic products have been shown to contain more vitamins than typical supermarket food. So, I suggest spending your money on organic food and forgetting your multi-vitamin--if it comes down to choosing.

But we live in an unhealthy world and sometimes need a boost of some product. In this case, I think it's worth every penny to get a high quality brand. From the testing that I've seen to companies I trust are RBC and Young Living (both sold thru distributors--one day I may sign up and sell these myself!) From the store, I like Garden of Life, as Jordan Rubin believes in whole foods as well.

So, while I have used Vitamin E as a replacement for Advil for cramps, I've now switched to Primrose Oil (don't worry--it comes in a capsule). Both products work well, but Primrose oil is in a more natural state, so I choose it.

So, next time you see a study on vitamins, remember, the effectiveness of the vitamin is strongly influenced by the quality of the product used. And then make sure you are eating a healthy diet full of vitamins!