Monday, July 25, 2011

Chia Seeds

Chi Chi Chi Chia... Remember that commercial? Well it's not just for clay pots anymore. Chia seeds are pretty amazing little creatures. Chia seeds come from the mint family. They are high in omega 3 fatty acid, antioxidants, fiber among other things. They have virtually no flavor so you can add them to anything and no one would be the wiser. They don't even need to be ground (unlike flax seeds) to receive the amazing benefits they offer. I just throw them right in our smoothies. You can order them online or pick them up at any health food store. Hey, we were just talking about adding more fiber to your diet and here's a super easy way to do it!

Here is a link to order them online from a place where I buy my coconut oil.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Diet Related Illnesses

We hear it all the time "eat you fruits and veggies", are you getting enough fruits and veggies?" and then we proceed throughout our busy days NOT eating our fruits and veggies. So why do you think that is? Honestly, I have no idea. Sometimes I am guilty of not eating the proper amount myself, although I somehow manage to get my kids to eat their fair share. But if you really stop and think about it there are SO many health issues we can avoid if we just ate more of those things. I mean it's not like they don't taste good for Pete's sake!!

For example, have any of you heard of Diverticulitis/Diverticulosis? You hear it a lot in older people but basically it is a condition in which the small pouches in your intestines or colon bulge outward and become inflamed and infected. If it is serious enough you have to have surgery to have the infected parts of your intestines and/or colon removed. Now maybe you didn't know this but it is completely diet related. It is from not eating enough fiber. Where does fiber come from...fruit and veggies of course! So I ask the question again...why don't we eat enough of them when we know they are the best thing for us?? I think we just have to treat our body like a true temple. What you put into it, is what you get out of it. Let's all try and be more intentional and grab an apple the next time we have a sweet tooth. You have to start somewhere!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Homemade Chai Tea

I have the most amazing Chai Tea recipe. It is way better then any store bought one I have ever tried. If you can't have milk, I'm sure you can swap it out with almond or coconut milk. I keep all the spices in my freezer to prolong their shelf life. Let me know what you think!

Chai Tea
2 cups water
2 individual tea bags (black or green or one of ea)
1 cinnamon stick
6 cardamom pods, crushed
1 whole clove
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a pan over medium heat, combine the first 6 ingredients and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Strain all the spices out then add sugar and vanilla. Serve hot or over ice. Enjoy!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Homemade Almond Body Scrub

I found this recipe and can't wait to give it a try. Maybe it will inspire some of you. If anyone does it before me, please let us know how it turned out.

1/4 cup coarse sea salt
1/4 cup oil (baby, olive or coconut -- I would use coconut)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Mix and enjoy the exfoliation!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Bentonite Clay

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I will try and not let it go so long between posts in the future :o)

I recently bought some Bentonite Clay from my Frontier Coop. There are a lot of uses for it from what I have read but I got it for detox purposes. It comes from volcanic ash, mostly from Wyoming. You can use it topically or orally. Either way all you do is add water. Although I did read on one website that you could add rose water or milk for a more soothing effect when applying it topically. You want to make a paste if using it on the skin. When you drink it just add a teaspoon to 8 oz or more of water. Oh, you can also add it to your bath water too.

Bentonite Clay has a negative ionic charge and most impurities, toxins, parasites have positive ionic charges so like they say "opposites attract". The toxins will stick to the clay and move out of your system. The clay is inert so it will not be absorbed by your system.

I have used the ready made store bought kind of Bentonite Clay before when I had a stomach bug. It did not have much of a flavor. I have not tried the powder I just bought yet so I can't let you know how that tastes. I will post some links so that you can do some research and see if this is something you are interested in too!

http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Bentonite-Clay-Powder
http://www.naturalnews.com/025854_clay_body_detox.html
http://www.aboutclay.com/

Beth and Morgans Blog