Showing posts with label healthy lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy lifestyle. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Immunity Super Soup....

The crisp cool air, the bulky sweaters and thick scarves, hot coffee and of course, hot soup!  Winter is here and I hear all around me of people getting that almost inevitable cold or flu.  Yuck, I hate getting sick, and I am going to try super hard to avoid this....!  {Good luck to me!} I could eat soup everyday, I enjoy making home-made soup so why not indulge in this everyday?!?!?!  Soup can be very healthy especially if you prepare it yourself, you can control what goes in, and let me tell you, all it takes it a whole lotta love and wholesome goodness to make good soup...   

I LOVE Dr. Oz, how could you not!  He is adorable, and knowledgeable!  I caught this great episode, as a working mom I don't get to watch regularly, and it was about your immune system and doing healthy natural things to keep your body fighting those nasty germs!   Chef Ming Tsai, also adorable, made this soup on the show and talked about all the great ingredients and how they help your body fight off the germs and claimed he hasn't been sick in a really long time!  I bought into it and had to make this soup, I love soup and spicy soup is the BOMB!  Yummy! 

A quote from Ming that I also fell in love with, "Food is the best medicine...." Amen.
Here is the link to Dr. Oz but I will share with you here as well, I added chopped fresh parsley because I love it! 

1 jalapeno (with seeds)
1 tbs grape seed oil (I didn't have this so I used coconut oil)
1 tbs minced ginger
1 tbs minced garlic (I love garlic and added more!)
2 bunches of scallions
1 lb of shitakes
black pepper
put it all in a pot and cook it down for 2-3 minutes, moving it around with a spoon.

2 qts of low sodium chicken stock or chicken broth (best choice is stock...)
2 lemons juiced
2 tbs brewed soy sauce
2 carrots shredded
1 block of silken tofu (I tried both silken and firm, I preferred the silken!)
black pepper
Add lemon zest and scallions to garnish! Enjoy! {I couldn't wait, and left this out!}

Do you have any cold remedies or ways you keep your family healthy during the fall/winter months when everyone else is sick spreading their germs EVERYWHERE!?  Some other natural cold remedies we will be trying this year….thanks to the Dr. Oz show…
-Bilberry extract to help fight a cold
-garlic foot rub: minced garlic + olive oil, another fighter
-cough syrup: 1 tbs apple cider vinegar, 1 tbs honey, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-Congestion: pineapple
-Sore throat: colloidal silver spray (kills bacteria)
-Headache: Capsaicin spray, 2 sprays in each nostril
And of course good old home-made chicken noodle soup can help those days you or your family members are under the weather.....!  And its great for the soul.  Why not send some soup to a neighbor or an elderly person you know as an act of kindness this winter..........
Wishing you a healthy winter,
~annette


Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Holiday Essentials and Organization....

I am currently geared up to tackle the tasks with grace, health and organization... I hope to add a few little luxuries to this list to help keep me lifted while tackling the holidays, maybe the occasional latte, a perfect cozy scarf, slippers!

#1 my iPhone

#2 stress relief in a bottle!
I tried this for the first time this summer and love it, rescue, by bach, rescue remedy natural stress relief and I think this could really help while tackling the holidays!
{Amazon}



#3 emergen-C packets
so that I can feel the good!  these give me energy and keep my immune system in check...  I take at least 2 packs a day, some days, if I am starting to feel something trying to attack my immune system and throw one more in the mix for a better defense....!
#4 my 1GB usb storage drive by scandisk, so that I am never without my most important files;)  honestly, I never know when I will need them!  What if I need my favorite photos or lists while I am at my mom's or sisters....?!

#5 my favorite lip stick, marykay, color shell and my favorite lip shine burt's bees zesty red, I can survive without lots of make up, but I need foundation and lipstick to not feel naked while running around town doing holiday errands! 


#6 alba pineapple quench lip balm, the dry air is already taking a toll on my lips and skin, seriously, can not live without moisturizer this winter I hate the feeling of cracked lips and skin!  And the tropical smell......mmmmm, it can take me on a quick mental vacation....

#7 ear phones: can't get enough enya lately... so calming and I can get lost in the sounds while wrapping and crafting and blogging!

#8 hair tie, another must have at all times, the dry weather takes a toll on my pin straight hair and when I am running around I may need to throw it back to not fuss with the frizzies!  ...gotta love cold Michigan weather...!

#9 my binder for the current agenda and list! {gosh, I really need to convert to the iPhone, but there is something about paper....I - LOVE - PAPER!}

#10 portable keyboard for the iPhone. {I really, really, really want an iPad, but it is not a current priority...}  I do love the wireless keyboard, if I feel like typing something on pages or notes or an email it really helps my fingers and thumbs, although, my eyes are given the true challenge of being strained while looking at the tiny screen!

#11 my big bag, vera bradley style, it is called the miller bag, it is my favorite bag ever!  I consider myself a bit of a bag lady, I live out of bags!  This is great for traveling as well as running around town it can hold EVERYTHING!  Pockets and the way it opens, you can see it all!  So when I am out shopping my daily binder goes, my coupon binder goes, and anything else that needs to come along, like diapers and wipes;)

 #12 my coupon binder for coupons, sales flyer's, deals, extra cash bonuses, coupons, gift cards anything to help me save as many bucks as I can this Christmas!

There you have it, my holiday essentials....simple, helpful, handy and healthy to keep me going!

~annette

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Let's give this blog a kick-start.....


I am as ready as I will ever be to Kick Start this blog!  
Trust me, I will be learning along the way!
All right, my goal is to live simply, live by intention and live a life full of love. 
Simply intentional with love!  Oooh, I LOVE the sound of that!

Well a couple weeks ago, I stayed home from my day job. It wasnt intentional however; I was stricken with illness that was brought on by treating myself badly  Lets just say I had a rough night with the porcelain God...!  
This had me thinking about why I was feeling this way, what made me feel this way, who made me feel this way.  Conclusion:  I realized that I was not sick nor did I have food poisoning, I did not have the chills, but still I felt awful and my body rejected something 
hmmm, why? Ahh-haa moment, because I was wasting too much effort and time feeling sorry for myself this past week{end}, I over indulged in any food item I pleased, I didnt cook or prepare real family meals, we were on the go-go-go, I drank alcohol, ate cake, hot dogs and cheese, m&ms, lemon bars{light bulb} duhhh, I figured it out

I completely gave up on myself; I treated my body terribly and did nothing good for my soul either.   I was just not giving my life my all.  I was actually kind of giving up... 

My excuse was that my man was M.I.A. due to work obligations for a total of two weeks in October.   The boys and I missed him dearly, he is really good at keeping us on track, and he wasn't there for that support.  Our home was completely out of sync and I spent zero time really caring about myself or for myself 

All of those self-pity moments led me to overeating, eating unnecessary sugar, not drinking enough H2O,  and gave me days of grumpiness, irritability, sluggishness, and a general feeling of just not feeling well  Seriously GIRLFRIEND What is your deal? {me, talking to me!} "LIFE IS A ROLLER COASTER! Get over it and keep going!"
I remember being called a duck by a colleague, calm at the surface but paddling like hell underneath.  That pretty much sums me up.  I tend to show a lot of self-control at the surface, I'm usually pretty coo,l calm, and collected and tend to hide the stress.  Most people wouldnt even know how crazy I was paddling under the surface! So, being a duck, I am not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing...? 

Here are some of my ways to get back on track. {I need to always have a goal in mind.t}
{Photo: My favorite juice, kale, mint, pears + blueberries}

Step one Hubby back on the juice machine! 
Seriously, we love our fresh morning green juice that he lovingly makes for us every morning, it is pure, energizing, rejuvenating, healthy, brings everyone happiness {most days}, we all get a ton of fruit and veggie servings first thing, and it has aided in weight loss!  All key factors to a healthy lifestyle, its simply intentional with love!  
{always be~e putting wholesome goodness in the body throughout the dayno snacking unless it is wholesome and good, limit eating out and bring food from home that is home-made wholesome and good!}

{Photo: My hubby making fresh healthy juice.}

Step two  Fill my jug with crystal clear goodness!
Fill that 64 oz jug every morning and drink it throughout the day, just need to keep it close by and remember to quench my thirst once in a while!  
{aim to try and add lemon to a cup of warm water in the morning to kick start the engines for digestion!}

{photo: coffee, berries, notes}

Step threeFollow the yellow list, its a great map to where I am going
One of my favorite paper pads is the yellow page steno book, its a perfect size 6 x 9, two columns, and yellow, so I can easily spot my list...!  I am just really bad at keeping only one note pad going at a time, I end up scribbling on sheet after sheet of paper!  And they are even in countless places.  I just need to Follow + Keep a system.  And K.I.S.S. it. {keep it simple stupid!}
{always be~e keeping up on our organization system, this is something I struggle with, I havent quite found my system… oh, and use the yellow iPhone notepad, it has come in handy many times!!!}

Step four Play music, exercise and breathe.
These go hand and hand sometimes, when I turn that music on after my morning coffeewatch out, dance party USA in-my-living room!  I look like Im nuts, if someone were to happen to show up at my door during this routine, they would wonder why I am not skinnier than I am, that's for sure!  I move, I shake, I lift my kids, I spin, I jump!  Just need to turn it into a workout routine, and I'd be set!  Another great thing I have tried and absolutely lovemeditation. I really didn't understand what it was until I tried it, its refreshing, relaxing, rejuvenating, motivating, healing, I think it can really be anything you want it to be!  
{set a goal to turn on the music more often during dinner time!  Get moving girlfriend! Also aim to spend time with my friend walking the stairs at my day job and don't forget to add some yoga to our life! Take time to meditate.}

Step five  Stop worrying about a clean house and get a project going even if it takes days to complete.
I love being creative, I hate clutter, and its a battle I am constantly dealing with  I love being able to be a hostess at any moment so my home needs to appear clean and tidy at all times, just in case However, these days, I have two busy bee monsters ruling the hive!  So visitors are really at a minimum these days, so why not focus on making our hive cozy and fresh and use all of the creative energy I feel and have a hive under a little construction.  Were a family and were constantly evolving and growing.  There are so many things I can do to make us more organized and efficient, comfy and creative! 
{aim to start a DIY home improvement project every chance I get!} 


Step six  Eat healthy, meal plan.
I have found when I plan our meals out, consciously make a decision, then we succeed at eating healthy and on a budget.  JUST DO IT!  It feels really, really good when this is working the way I need it to.  

Cheers to living simply intentional with love~ annette