Did Everyone Sign up for My Wordpress Blog?

I just wanted to send a reminder to my followers here to sign up on my wordpress version of this blog. I would love to hear from you over there!!! Here is the link...

http://naturaldivasblog.wordpress.com/

Switching to Wordpress, Come Follow Me!

Hello everyone! I am sorry my posts have been so few and far between :o( I am making a switch to wordpress though because it seems to be an easier format to follow. Check it out and let me know what you think! I am still tweaking it so bear with me please. I hope everyone is staying healthy! With love, Morgan

http://naturaldivasblog.wordpress.com/

V8 Energy Shot

"Powered Naturally. Ingredients You Know" this is the tagline they choose to use. Oh they are ingredients I know, that's for sure. Although the last time I checked, sucralose does NOT occur in nature!

I am weaning my husband off of energy drinks and saw this and thought to myself "oh fruits, veggies, green tea extracts that seems harmless". I turned it around and read, or at least attempted to read the ingredients list. I did unfortunately forget to wear my magnifying glasses that day....touche!! From my quick read in the isle I didn't see anything horrible so I bought it. They came two to the package so while I was working with my husband we tried it out. First off, it tasted like a Flinstone vitamin, yuck!! After I gulped it down I read it closer, sucralose..dammit!! I hate bleach sugar...

Now I don't typically partake in any sort of energy drinks, not for lack of wanting energy but for the fact that all they do is give me anxiety and shortness of breath. Well, I can drink green tea with no issues and the bottle of the V8 shot said as much caffeine as a regular cup of coffee but after about an hour I was all jacked up ready to puke! I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want that feeling, or the bleached sugar. I swear why did they even put sucralose in it other then to poison everyone. It had 10 grams of sugar so all the sugar free people won't touch it. Sorry, I am venting here cause I feel like I was hoodwinked into getting this product and that doesn't typically happen to me. Lesson learned...

http://v8energyshots.com/

Goodbye Detox, Hello Lifestyle Changes

So...I am not going to finish my 30 days... There, I said it!

I was having reservations about stopping but then I couldn't stop obsessing about it, still! Although I am stopping early, I have learned a bunch. (no, not that I am a quitter!! LOL feeling slightly guilty can you tell) What I am going to do now, in lieu of the detox is make a lifestyle change with my diet. My diet is better then most peoples', however, there were some serious pitfalls. I had a habit of eating empty carbs and sugary treats more often then I should have. By empty carbs I mean pasta, bread (not white, but not homemade), crackers, etc. I am definitely going to be conscious of how much sugar is in things I am eating as well. For example, I looked at a Greek yogurt I have gotten in the past. It is fat free apple cinnamon. Sounds harmless right? Well it has 14g of sugar!! Sheesh. Overall, I did not feel any different from my 2 weeks of detox, nor did I lose any weight, however, I have a whole new perspective on what I was really eating/craving. Also, I did allow my body to do some healing because 2 weeks is better then nothing!! Thanks for all your comments and support and I urge all of you to look real closely to what you think you are eating, it may surprise you like it did me!

Week 2 Detox

I'm nearing the end of week 2 and it has been going much better. I have allowed myself 1 cheat a day, but they aren't bad ones...well, no cookies or bread or candy lol. One day I took the kids out for frozen yogurt and I had a vanilla one myself. Last night I went to eat at Bonefish and did have their potatoes au gratin and they have a little bit of bread crumbs so I cheated there. See, not too bad right? Well, not compared to what I would usually treat myself to anyway. If I wasn't so busy maybe I would be able to tell if I felt any different. Although even if I didn't feel the difference I still know I am doing my body good so I will march on regardless. This journey has let me realize how often I would run to a easy option to feed myself when I was hungry. Don't get stuck in that rut like I was. I like to check myself by asking how much "real food" I have eaten. By real food I mean fruits, veggies, non processed garbage. If you really think about it I bet there are days where you haven't eaten any!

Detox Week 2 - Revised

This is me...waving the white flag on my 30 day detox. Ok, it's not really me and I am not really giving up, but after my first week, things are going to change. I had a lovely talk with Beth today, whom I miss terribly, and she put some things in perspective for me. First of all she was very proud of what I had accomplished thus far. She said that I probably should have weaned myself off of gluten and sugar rather then quitting cold turkey! So I decided that I am going to give myself some grace here. When I start to have a intense craving for something, I will allow myself to enjoy it. Now I am not talking about a bag of jellybeans, although they do sound yummy (he he). The whole purpose of me doing this was to detox, however, I have been counterproductive in my detox because I have been stressed/obsessed about what I am or are not eating. When it starts consuming you like that there is a problem!! I have to create balance in my life you know?! So the new journey begins. Week 2 Revised detox ;o)

Week 1 of Detox

I have made it through the first week. I have to say, this has been an interesting journey thus far. Like I said before, going gluten free has been the easy part, it's the sugar free that has been the challenge. Sugar is in everything it seems. I have been on a bunch of different websites trying to find homemade snacks I can make to curb my sweet desires and it either has gluten or sugar in it's recipe...Grrr. I tried to make pancakes this morning using rice and coconut flours and they turned out more like biscuits then pancakes, but they ate! I have to admit, part of me really wants to shorten this 30 venture to say, 14 days or so. Humans are such creatures of habit. I just don't like the fact that I can't have what I want even though I know I don't need it. Well, I will move forward for now and we will see how far I get.

Day 3 Detox

I survived day 3 and it was easier then yesterday. I found this awesome recipe for chocolate mousse (or frosting) that is amazing and it has no sugar!! http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/01/16/chocolate-frosting-shots/

Just to show you that you can survive eating out on this detox, my husband wanted to stop at our favorite pizza place for dinner. I reminded him that I can't eat gluten or sugar and a pizza place wasn't the right option for me. Well, they had red snapper tacos and they served me the fish over roasted spinach, tomatoes and onions!!! Then I had a caesar salad. Not too bad right? Guess I didn't need to throw the fit I did before we got there after all (he he).

Oh, here is a recipe for gluten sugar free muffins that I made too...
http://friskylemon.com/2012/02/14/coconut-flour-morning-glory-muffins/

Day 2 of Detox

Hmmm, today was a little challenging for me...yeah yeah, I realize it's only day 2! I am glad I have some friends doing this with me cause they helped me not succumb to my sugar cravings. Now granted, I don't eat a lot of sugar and what little bit I do eat is healthier than what most people would eat but I do enjoy my sweets. Apparently so much so that I was obsessing over it all day. I decided the grocery store was the devil cause every time I turned around there was something else I couldn't eat. I think at one point my mouth was watering...ok, more than once. I did come to the conclusion that I didn't eat enough so that is probably what caused these cravings. I took my spin class and at one point thought I might die so I definitely need to fuel myself better tomorrow. I have been told there are some yummy gluten and sugar free sweets at a local health food store so I am gonna check it out tomorrow!

Day 1 Detox

Ok, so this might be a bit more challenging then I thought. Not because of willpower but because of habit. I was looking for snacks at the store to curb my carb cravings and I got very excited to see some gluten free grain cereal. This morning I pour it in my bowl and proceed to turn the bag over and read it. And, that's when I get the bad news...evaporated cane juice. CRAP!! I cheated and didn't even know it. So, for those of you that are going to join me, read the labels!!! LOL

Breakfast:
Cereal (the kind I'm not supposed to have) with bananas and strawberries

Snack:
Cucumber and 2 grapefruits juiced

Lunch:
Leftover steak sauteed with some onions and cheese
Cheddar popcorn
Apple

Dinner:
I will be making beef ribs with a beef marinade...(cheating here and I didn't realize, has sugar) and apricot jam with no added sugar; Mac n Cheese homemade with quinoa pasta and asparagus

So, day 1 wasn't exactly like I planned but it will get better!

30 day detox

I'm sure most of you have read about the importance of detoxing. We are bombarded daily with toxins via the food we eat, the air we breathe and many many other things. God made our bodies capable of taking care of most of these toxins with our many filter organs, however, because we are so inundated we need to help our body by cleaning it out every now and again. I have heard and agree that detoxing yourself two times a year is ideal.

A friend shared an interesting site with me called the Whole 30 (http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/) and it enticed me to try a modified version of the detox. I am going to for the next 30 days (and who knows maybe a lifetime if I feel amazing afterwards) remove gluten and sugar from my diet. These are two pretty big parts of my diet so I am hoping I will feel the difference. Now, I am going to allow honey and brown rice syrup, along with the occasional glass of wine so that I don't kill anyone lol. The last time I did a detox I thought I did pretty well but my husband said he was ready to leave me during it...I know, so dramatic these men are ;op.

I will be, or at least try to, track my progress on the blog. I am sure I will find some new recipes or alternative food options that maybe you guys can incorporate into your lives. If anyone wants to join me, I could use the moral support!! The detox starts tomorrow so let the spring cleaning begin!!

Homemade Granola Bars

I made these bars today and they are so yummy!! My kids kept asking for more. Feel free to substitute any of the add-in ingredients for your specific taste and/or diet needs.

2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
2 Cups Crispy Brown Rice Cereal
1/4 Cup Oat Bran
1/2 Cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1 Cup of any combination of the following (chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (or whatever oil you prefer)
1/2 Brown Rice Syrup (or honey)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp Almond extract

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in bowl one bowl and wet in another. Add wet to dry and mix thoroughly. Put granola in glass baking dish and press down firmly. Bake for 20 minutes. I cooled mine off for 5 minutes on the counter, then put it in the fridge to harden a bit. Delish!!

Fresh Whole Grain Flour

In my bio I mention that I make my own flour but I don't think I have ever broached the subject beyond that. I have been milling my own flour for years now. (The mill in this picture is the one I use.) My sister was a part of a grain coop called the Bread Beckers. I ordered a mill and have been doing it ever since. Grains are so high in nutrition that they oxidate and loose their nutritional value fairly quickly. The whole grain flour you buy in the store has already lost 90% of its nutritional value. Just today I made banana bread with freshly milled spelt and brown rice flour.

When I first joined the coop I bought one of Sue Becker's cds and she told a story about the origins of white flour. It came to be because someone discovered that flour had a longer shelf life if you removed all the bran from it (where all the nutrition is). This made white flour. Well, then they realized that there was no nutrition in it now so then they started "enriching" it. Can you make any sense out of that logic cause I can't. Anyway, they had all this leftover bran they had to do something with so they starting giving it to livestock. Sue Becker goes on to tell a story about a farmer. I can't remember if it was her or someone else who asked the farmer what would happen of you gave the livestock the white "enriched" flour rather then the bran. He chuckled and said they would die of course! So how sad is that, we eat the stuff that other living creatures would die if they ate....Great... Another bright idea from our industrial nation.

Here is a link to the Bread Beckers site if you want to see about getting a mill or joining a coop near you.
http://www.breadbeckers.com/index.html

Quote of the Day

I'm reading the book "Anti Cancer, A New Way of Life" now and thought this was a great quote.

"Changes in lifestyle cannot, by definition, be patented. Thus, they do not become medications and they do not require prescriptions. This means that most physicians don't consider them within their realm, so it's up to each of us to make them our own." Dr. David Servan-Schreiber

Digestive Enzymes

I watched a video on www.naturalnews.com and it was about natural energy boosters. It had lots of interesting recommendations. One of them was digestive enzymes. Sounds kind of interesting but it makes perfect sense when you think about it. When we eat our body has to work hard to digest that food. They mentioned that as we get older we tend to lose these enzymes. You may think to yourself, ok, I will just take a supplement, but there's a better option. You can get enzymes to help digestion by eating raw fruits and vegetables. This is a WAY better option then taking a pill in my opinion. So there is no way I can become a raw food only person (I give serious props to these people, but I love meat too much), so what I have been doing is eating some raw produce with every meal, especially dinner. I can't tell you how many times I cook my veggies at dinner and only half of them get eaten anyway. All I do now is put some raw broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, etc on a plate in the middle of the table and they all get eaten up!! Give it a try, you will cut down your prep time and help your digestion...it's a win win!

Fiore's Cinnamon Brown Rice Flour Muffins

Here is a recipe that Fiore's fiance created for her to help curb her carb cravings on the Candida (no carb) diet. They were super yummy and can easily be modified by adding fruit to them (Candida dieters, month 1 No fruit, you can ease into blueberries-very low sugar content after 3-6 months). If you have a grain mill you can mill the rice yourself!

CINNAMON MUFFIN RECIPE

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Place muffin cups into the muffin pan, (or if no muffin cups, lightly grease a muffin pan with Organic Horizon Unsalted butter)

3. Then place these ingredients into the mixer or blender if you don't have mixer.

3/4 Cup Almond Milk

1/2 Cup Brown Rice Syrup

2 Organic Brown Eggs

1/2 Cup Olive Oil Extra Virgin Cold Pressed

1 and 1/2 Cups Bobs Creamy Brown Rice Farina Hot Cereal

1 and 1/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour

2 Teaspoons of Rumford Aluminum Free Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon sea salt

2 Teaspoons of Organic Cinnamon


4. Blend all these ingredients on high for 2-3 minutes and be sure that all the dry ingredients are all mixed up off the sides of the blender.

5. Once the mixture is made, pour the muffin batter into the muffin cups. Fill muffin cups to about a quarter of an inch from the top of the muffin cup. (about half the size of your pinky nail)

6. Sprinkle cinnamon on the tops of the muffins - or - if you want fruit (raisins, apples, blueberries, etc), add some into the muffins at this point.

7. Sprinkle a little xylitol on top of the muffins.

8. If using muffin baking cups:
Place muffins into the oven and bake at 350 degrees, set timer for 25 minutes.

8. If no muffin cups:
Place muffins into oven and and bake at 350 degrees, set timer for 23 minutes.

Enjoy!

Natural Fabric Softener

So I was at the store the other day with my sister and I was looking for some natural dryer sheets and she told me about a great alternative to them. You take a washcloth, and get it wet. Wring it out and then pour white vinegar on it then wring that out. Throw that in the dryer with your clothes and... Voila! Like magic your clothes are static (and chemical) free!! At first I was worried that my clothes were going to smell like vinegar but they didn't so I am very excited!! It's also one less thing to go in the landfills so I am happy!

Farm Raised Tilapia

Happy New Year everyone!! Sorry I haven't posted in a while but the holidays kept me pretty busy. Hope everyone had a nice time as well.

I wanted to talk about Tilapia, the mild white fish many of you may enjoy. What you might not enjoy about them is the condition many of them are kept in. First off, almost all Tilapia is farm raised. This to me is a red flag. Have you ever seen the pens of farm raised fish; they are like aquariums of the sea. Seriously, these fish just go in circles looking for an escape route and cause a serious amount of pollution! Anyway, one of the most important things to keep in mind if you are purchasing Tilapia is to make sure it is raised in the US. DO NOT BUY TILAPIA RAISED CHINA (80% of all Tilapia sold is from China)! Apparently these fish act like filters so some people (not mentioning any names China) throw waste, human and animal, into their pens. Sounds yummy doesn't it? I believe some Tilapia is also imported from South America and other Asian countries as well. These should be stayed clear of too.

To be honest, I personally try to limit all fish I eat. Although some have great health benefits, I can't get past all the potential for toxins and pollutants in them. I think oil spills, radiation, human waste and it just makes me cringe. Now I understand a great deal of pollution is happening to land animals as well but for some reason fish I try to limit. It might sound crazy, I don't know, but it is how I look at it.

Anyway, make sure you check your fish labels and try to only buy wild caught. Local wild caught would be even better.


Resources:
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/healthquest/the-dangers-of-farm-raised-tilapia-from-china

http://www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=631