Tag Archives: Healthy

Summer Shape Up

Summer Shape Up starts today!

It is 30 days, are you up for a challenge?

I’m very excited to learn some new recipes, meet new friends, and getting healthy one simple change at a time. I have been getting my smoothie recipes lined up, and planning some healthy simple tweaks to my life.

A few of the goals I have during the challenge and I will add more as I go on this journey:

Drink more water and add lemon essential oil to each glass.
Drink a complete whole food smoothie once a day.
Eat a salad once a day.
Take my fruit, veggie, and berry capsules once a day.
Take my superfood supplements once a day.
Use essential oils everyday to help detox, cooking, detox my body, cleaning, etc.
Menu Plan each week to help me stay on track to reach my goals.
Walk or be active at least 30 minutes each day.
Get at least 20 minutes of sunshine each day.
Pray and read my bible every morning.

I hope you will join me.

Please share.

Kid Approved Egg Burritos

Leave a reply

Our chickens have been on egg production overdrive this summer. I am not complaining though. We have enjoyed having an abundance of eggs because they were on strike all winter and I would have given anything for some fresh eggs then. So I will take it while it’s available and not complain!

There are many ways of preserving eggs to keep them into the winter such as freezing out of the shell, boil them and pickle them in a sweet pickle or even beet juice, or storing whole eggs in buckets of sand in a cellar, and you can also crack them and dehydrate them to use in baking or smoothies later. I have tried freezing them in the past and may put up some this way before winter arrives again.

I may put some eggs under a hen too and try to get her to hatch out some babies too. It takes 5 to 7 months for a chicken to start laying eggs, so it is a long waiting process when you get started. Then they usually lay 1 egg a day for a few months. Then many stop laying for at least a month and up to three months in the winter depending on temperatures and the amount of daylight. They also use this rest time to shed their feathers and grow new feathers each year. Usually by their second or third year, the hens don’t lay every day, but maybe evey second or third day. Most people butcher the hens for soup by their second season when they are less productive.

With farm fresh eggs, it is best to store them unwashed but wash them just before using. This way they keep fresh longer. In the photo above you can see how the eggs look right out of the nest, some are very clean and some have a little dirt on them. This won’t hurt the egg because they naturally have a protective barrior on the outside of the shell that protects them. But once you wash them, you also wash away the protective barrier too.

Another wonderful thing about farm fresh eggs is that if there is a rooster around, your eggs will be fertile. The yolks are also more yellow orange colored than store bought eggs and this is due to all the grass and insects the chickens eat all day and it creates an omega 3 richer egg.

I am thankful my kids love eggs and their favorite way to eat them is in Egg Burritos. This is one of the fastest main dishes I make for my large family. It cooks up in just a few minutes and is ready to serve.

Kid Approved Egg Burritos

Eggs (2 per person)

Butter for cooking

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Tortilla (any soft kind will do, there are many options for different diet needs)

Add In Options: cheese of your choice, sauted veggies, meat, salsa, guacamole, rice, leftovers, etc.

Place a tablespoon or so of butter in a nonstick pan and add your eggs. Scramble and continue to stir as they cook until desired doneness.

Fill tortilla shells. I find it very handy to place them in a cake pan while I am filling them as it helps hold up the sides of the burrito for me to fill. Add cheese and even salsa if you wish and serve. You can make these ahead, then cover and set in a warm oven until ready to eat. They are also great frozen and reheated when needed.

Eggs are such a great source of complete protein and easy to digest for most people. They are delicious served anytime of day or night. Eggs are very satisfying and help you feel full while nourishing your body.

Be blessed!

Melinda

Please share.

Week 12 Update on the 90 Day Challenge

Leave a reply

Life is changing fast around here. Winter has gone and spring has arrived. Snow and ice is no longer my enemy keeping me captive indoors! So it is time to get outside and move. Yeah!

I have completed week 12 (90 days) of this health and wellness journey and I can’t believe I have reached the end of the challenge. Be assured I will start another health focused challenge, as I am not done with my “getting healthy make over”!

As a matter of fact, I am so excited about several things I have implemented during this challenge that have really helped me more than any thing else I have ever done, with the exception of attending the Zumba classes at the Arden North Carolina YMCA two years ago. I do wish I could still attend that class, and believe it would make the outcome of this healthy makeover even more amazing. My instructor in that class was my hero!! She’s the mom of a special needs child, and her life testimony was so inspiring to me. I hope to find a good substitute for that dance class here in rural Indiana soon, but up to this point I have not found it.

What WORKED?

I am so excited to share with you that I am down 2 pant sizes and have lost 19 lbs on this challenge. That is about a 1.5 lbs per week average. Slow and steady wins the race, right? RIGHT!

So what have I done during the 90 days that worked for me?

I think the two most significant improvements in my lifestyle were that I joined:

Juice Plus+ and their Transformation 30 program,

and doTerra essential oils and supplements.

Combining these two amazing all natural strategies with my on going strategy of creating healthy meal plans with the Fast Metabolism Diet, incorporating some Trim Healthy Mama and Low Carb Paleo recipes is the pieces of the get healthy puzzle I needed to move forward.

I am getting in a little exercise. It was so hard this winter to do anything as I was snowed in for most of it. I have joined a plank challenge with my Juice Plus+ friends. A plank is a strength exercise where you stretch out on the floor and then hold yourself up off the floor with the strength of your own forearms (arm is bent and the entire forearm touches the floor), and toes. It works a lot of the muscles in the body just by holding yourself still in that position. You start off with doing 20 seconds and slowly increase your time a few seconds longer each day.

Another “little” activity I finally got motivated to do is walking on the eliptical for a few minutes each day, just enough to get my blood pumping and move my lymph fluids. I am glad to start using it again as it usually just collects dust until one of the kids notice it and play on it. My husband has wanted to get rid of it many times as it takes up space, but I usually say “hey I plan to get on this thing” and then it sits. Speaking of sitting, sitting at the computer is very unheathy as it doesn’t promote the movement of either of my blood flow (nourishment of cells and organs) or my lymph fluids (immune system, detoxing, and prevention of disease). We have a small mini-trampoline and I like to jump on it, but it is outside on the porch and it was too cold all winter to use it. Hopefully I will get motivated to use that some each day. I definately need to increase my exercise level. Now that the weather has warmed up a little (we are still in the 40’s during the day and 20’s at night), I can get outside and walk around and work in the yard soon.

I am so excited how these programs are pieces of my health puzzle and are coming together as a wellness makeover strategy to bless me on my journey.

Things I am accomplishing:

1) nourishment to the whole body

2) healing vital organs and body systems:

liver, digestive, lymph, immune, skin

3) weight loss

4) energy

5) renewing my red blood cells and DNA (takes about 5 months on Juice Plus+)

Sharing my journey isn’t about making a buck, or sales. However, I am excited I can earn money sharing health and wellness products and give my testimony how they have helped me. I also like the benefit to help my family out financially and be able to purchase these products to better my health. But sharing this journey is about health. This is serious. This is my health. It is your health. I am 45 years old. I don’t have any more time to Mickey Mouse around with fads or gimmicks.

It has to be real. It has to heal.

I am doing so much better with the healing of my body and having more energy. Once I incorporated doTerra Mito 2 Max, and LifeLong Vitality Pack (vitamins, minerals, herbs, probiotics, omega fatty acids), and Terrazyme enzyme blend that promotes cellular function and communication through out the body, it began helping me detox and helped me digest my foods so my gastrointestinal system is working at its best. These are the best vitamin mineral health supplements I have ever used. I am really pleased with the quality and the results.

I figured out that I had a weightloss stall for a few weeks while my body was making some serious repairs. It takes time to heal! I don’t think you realize this when you are young. I didn’t figure it out until I was over 40 and went through major sugery with an emergency C section. I know I have a damaged thyroid and adrenal glands, in addition to being over weight. So I wanted to increase the nutrition to those organ systems, but how? I already eat a healthy diet and it wasn’t helping me heal or loose weight.

So what could I do that was all natural (I am not a fan of synthetic pharmacuticals), to heal? It is nearly impossible to eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables to heal adequately when you are dealing with a healing crisis. However, once I incorporated Juice Plus+ and thier Transform 30 program I began to see more healing and my weight has continued to go down as my body has detoxed and organs have been nourished with over 30+ fruits, veggies, grains, and herbs in the Juice Plus+ Trio Blend, and over 20+ plant foods in the Complete.

Yes, I do get frustrated when the scale is slow to show progress. When I started this challenge I expected more. I seriously thought I would have accomplished a 30lb loss by now, but that didn’t happen. Instead the scale went down and back up a pound and down again over and over and I didn’t feel that I was making very good progress. The progress seemed so small some weeks that I was embarrassed to even tell anybody I was working on it. But even though I may not see it on the outside, or even on the scale, I am making progress. My body is healing on the inside. I can see little things like the improvement in my fingernails, having more energy, sleeping better, thinking clearer, pooping healthy, and even the integrity of my skin has improved and there is healing of my cracked heels. That is progress!

It is happening. Slowly. Change is taking place.

In 12 weeks, I have lost 19 lbs.

My Next Get Healthy Makeover:

I am dedicating this whole year (and the rest of my life) to getting healthy and staying healthy. So I am going to do this again, on a 30 day cycle now. I have everything in place and have made the big changes these first 90 days, and now it is about making little tweaks.

The Transformation 30 program helps you implement one simple healthy change in your life every 30 days while using Juice Plus+. A small tweak here and a small tweak there adds up to big results! That is do-able!

So for the next 30 days I will be focussing on:

1) Meal Planning

I will continue with recipes from the Fast Metabolism Diet, Trim Healthy Mama, and Low Carb Paleo strategies. The biggest help in these programs is to not overload on carbs and fats in the same meal, either focus on carbs and proteins this meal, or focus on fats and proteins in this meal and alternate the meals every three to four hours, but to always incorporate nutrients dense veggies and proteins into each meal.

2) Staying hydrated.

I am trying to drink 3 quarts of water per day. I am adding in doTerra essential oils for flavor and a boost to my health. So far Lemon or Lemon and Lime are my favorite oils to use for flavor. I am also drinking the Trim Healthy Mama beverages called Good Girl Moonshine (ginger and apple cider vinegar lemonade and sometimes adding in fresh fruits for more flavors) and the Shrinker tea for even more hydration.

3) Juice Plus+

I will continue to take Juice Plus+ Orchard, Garden, and Vineyard Blends (Trio Blend), and Complete for nourishment from over 50 plant foods with all the nutrients and vitality intact.

4) Transformation 30 program by Juice Plus+ for health and vitality and weight loss.

If you decide to enroll in the Transformation 30 program, be sure to get in on the $100 Cash Giveaway I am doing with some friends. We want to motivate you to get healthy and what better way to get a little motivation than some free cash in your pocket that you can spend however you want.

5) doTerra essential oils and Life Long Vitality vitamin and mineral and healthy supplements.

I am continuing to use my doTerra supplements because I know it is a part of my healing journey. I am helping repair my body and recover. The doTerra oils are superior to other essential oils. They are Theraputic Grade and work better than pharmecuticals to keep me healthy. I love the way God had designed the human body to respond to natural methods of healing. It is an ongoing conversation with our creator.

6) Healthy Activity

Incorporating healthy activity into my personal time and into my family’s day too.

7) Spiritual Healthy Activity

Pray and talk with the Lord daily. Spend time each morning reading his word before I start my day. He is my daily bread. Sing praises to him daily for He is worthy to be praised. Thank Him each day for my life because He is the Author of it and He is the air I breathe. His mercies are new every morning and I am greatful. His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven will endure forever and ever.

Praise the Lord! I know I am healing and making progress to achieve my naturally healthy weight and I have confidence that God has given me wisdom and resources, and I will get there!

So there you go.

What have I been up to the past few weeks since we talked last? Are you working on your health? What are you doing to reach your goals? Please leave me a comment and let me know. I love to read your comments!

Please share.

Black Bean Taco Salad

Leave a reply

Black Bean Taco Salad is an easy quick meal to prepare and has been one of my favorites over the years. It comes together so fast with fresh flavors and fun textures and is really a treat in the mouth and satisfying to the tummy.

I enjoy this taco salad for lunch or dinner. It is super delicious and nutritious. Some suggestions for different diet variations: If you are following a certain diet like Trim Healthy Mama, then you can serve this dish with blue corn chips or homemade baked Joseph’s pita / tortilla crisps / chips. If you are following a diet like The Fast Metabolism Diet then leave out the chips and instead serve this salad with sliced veggies like cucumbers, jicama, or large wedges of peppers, etc. If you are following a Low Carb Diet, leave out the black beans and chips and serve with low starch veggie slices or just on romaine lettuce. If you are on a Nourishing Foods or Eat Fat Loose Fat plan, add in a spoonfull of geletain powder and a spoonful of coconut oil to your pan while it cooks and serve with full fat sourcream and fermented Pico de Gallo and serve with sprouted corn chips. All of these methods are delicious variations you will not be dissappointed with.

This meal comes together fast and takes less than ten minutes to throw together if you keep a batch of Pico de Gallo in the fridge or freezer and canned beans on hand for quick meals. If not, then it will take you about another five minutes to chop those veggies and throw in the pot. If cooking beans from scratch, you will need to plan ahead and soak them overnight and plan to cook for an hour on the stove the next day before using in this recipe as dried beans should always be soaked for at least seven hours and drained before cooking to neutralize the phytic acids. This truly is a fast food meal. I like to make a batch of Pico de Gallo ahead and keep it in the fridge and some in quick meal packs in the freezer for fast meals when I don’t feel much like cooking or making a big mess in the kitchen.

The best part of all in making this meal is that my kids enjoy it and they don’t complain about eating it, and that makes the effort of putting this nutritious meal together for them so worth it!

Black Bean Taco Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup Pico de Gallo (fresh or frozen). Check out my Pico de Gallo recipe at the bottom of this post.
1 can black beans drained and rinsed.
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder or a fresh clove of garlic minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Optional (for crunch) serve with:
1 cup tortilla chips or 1 cup sliced raw veggies

Directions:
In a pan heat the Pico de Gallo on medium heat until the onions are tender, add in beans, garlic and spices till heated through and no moisture from the veggies remains. Scoop the taco filling onto plate and serve with lettuce, cheese, and tortilla chips. Add sour cream or guacamole if desired.

Nutrition Data: Calories 415; Protein 25 g; Fat 11 g; Fiber 20 g; Carbs 58 g; Sugars 8 g; Vit A 6105 IU; Vit C 42.2 mg; Vit K 66.7 mcg; Calcium 303 mg; Iron 5.4 mg; Thiamine .6 mg; Folate 610 mcg; Magnesium 159 mg; and so much more. This meal is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidents and is very nutrient dense. Data figured for the taco salad filling, plus lettuce and cheese, but without the optional chips or raw veggies.

This basic meal is very versatile. You can serve the taco filling in crunchy taco shells, on tostada shells, or inside soft tortillas too. It works for tacos, burritos, and enchiladas if you just change up the sauce or shell you are working with. I also love to add in already cooked rice for a delicious meal of rice and beans or to also fill a variety of shells. The kids love to add the taco filling, rice, cheese, and crunchy corn chips inside a soft tortilla shell for their own homemade version of FRITO BURRITOS from Taco Bell. If you want to use the taco filling as a dip, then just blend it in the blender until desired smoothness or chunckiness and serve with veggies or tortilla chips or spread on the inside of bread or tortillas for variety to sandwiches. Also for a creamy mexican soup, after blending the taco filling, this it with water or milk (real milk, almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, etc) and reheat the soup on top of stove, then garnish the soup bowl with sour cream, or more Pico de Gallo when serving if desired. This basic recipe is very versatile and you can get a lot of different meals from it.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

1 medium chopped onion (red or white)
2 medium chopped tomatoes with seeds removed
1 small chopped jalapeno with seeds removed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 2 Tbsp dried cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt

Toss everything together and store in fridge or freezer and use for adding to meals (tacos, burritos, eggs, soups, etc.) or as a garnish. Pico de Gallo is basically a fresh salad made from uncooked salsa. It is traditional in Mexican cooking, comes together quick and easy and makes meals POP with flavor and texture. I highly recommend keeping batches of this awesome food in the fridge and freezer for various uses. I love to make quick breakfasts by adding a few tablespoons of Pico de Gallo in a skillet, sauteing with chopped spinach and then piling all of that inside a delicious omelet. The best omelets ever!!! If desired, you can also ferment Pico de Gallo in a glass canning jar for one to three days on the counter, and then for another week or so in the fridge before using just by adding in 2 Tbsp of liquid whey when preparing a fresh batch. It will turn out similar to Kimchi (Kimchi is a raw fermented Asian spicy salad) but without the cabbage and red chili peppers. It is amazing what you can do with ferments. The Lactobacillus in the liquid whey helps safely ferment the veggies and activates lots of enzymes and good bacteria that are beneficial to the digestive and immune systems. Whether you eat it fresh, cooked, or fermented, Pico de Gallo is YUMMY!!!

Please share.

Oh My! Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Leave a reply

This is not your ordinary cookie! Oh no, no, no! These cookies taste like…OH MY!

These are a delicacy! They are so good and crispy on the outside, gooey and chewy on the inside! With just a surprise of CHOCOLATE on your taste buds! Everything and more that your mouth desires in a chocolate chip cookie! Oh my!

Oh My! Chocolate Chip Cookies! by Weiser Academy

Now let’s talk about healthy! These are healthy as well as delicious. Think I’m off my rocker to call a good tasting cookie healthy? Do you think to have healthy food you have to give up great taste and texture? Nope! Think again!

I know what you are thinking, you have eaten too many hocky pucks labeled cookies and had too many “healthy” cookies crumble in your hands before they get to your mouth, or worse taste like a cotton sock stuck in your throat once you got them in there! Yeah, I hear your pain! I know because I have been there, done that, in the name of getting healthy. You know what I mean if you have used specialty flours to bake with and your cookies came out to dry or gritty! It makes a person want to say goodbye to cookies all together.

So to reach my personal standard of a “healthy food” category for my family, I try to find foods that meet these criteria: First and foremost, the ingredients need to be natural. Can I get an AMEN?! Did God create them, or were they created in a manufacturing laboratory? Even if God created them, did some scientist invent a way to alter them, or spay them with poisons to kill off pests? If they are not a natural product, and they were not raised by a natural process, then forget using them. Second, they need to be nutrient dense. They must have a diverse spectrum of nutrients to benefit the human body.

Here is a run down of why these cookie ingredients are healthy foods:
Spouted flours are gluten-free, low carb, phytic acid free, enzyme activated, power house flours
Healthy Free Range Eggs from chickens that roam the land in search of insects and green grass produce Omega 3 rich eggs and have more vitamins and nutrients in them than store-bought eggs.
Quinoa flour is also gluten-free, contains balanced plant proteins, and is high in minerals like calcium and iron.
Almond flour is gluten-free and contains fiber, vitamin E, and more.
Flax meal is high in Omega 3 fatty acids
Butter from grass-fed free range cows is rich in CLA, Vit D, Vit A, essential fatty acids, and numerous vitamins and minerals.
Aluminum free baking soda is alkinalizing to the body.
Sea salt is rich in a whole spectrum of minerals.
Oats help to lower blood pressure and assist the vascular system.
Chocolate has antioxidants that help the body fight free radicals and cancer.
So for all of these reasons, these cookies are a healthy food.

I have altered these gems, to lessen the stress of gluten on the body. I am making them gluten free by using sprouted flour. With a few tweaks, I have increased the protein, amino acids, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, and omega 3 fatty acids from a regular chocolate chip cookie and the amazing thing is you won’t know the difference. Seriously you cannot tell and your husband and kids are going to love them and your body will thank you!

Oh My! Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups sprouted wheat or spelt flour (or use all natural wheat or spelt flour)
1 cup quinoa flour
1 cup almond meal flour
1/2 cup flax meal flour
1 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 cups gluten-free quick oats
2 – 3 cups chocolate chips (your choice depending on your preference: semi sweet, dark, skinny chocolate, sugar-free, dairy free, etc.)

Wet Ingredients:
5 medium free rage eggs
2 cups healthy saturated fat. I use grass-fed butter (or 1 1/2 cup butter plus 1/2 cup coconut oil).
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups of sweetener of choice. I like to use a sucanant sugar. It is highly nutrient dense. But I also use a stevia erythritol blend to make these cookies a whole lot easier on the blood sugars. You choose! If you want to keep these cookies more like a traditional chocolate chip cookie, try making them with 1 1/2 cups of sucanat and 1 1/2 cups evaporated cane juice.

Method:
Mix healthy fat and sweetener together until light and fluffy. This takes 3 to 5 minutes with a mixer. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix gently and set aside.

Mix flours, baking soda, and sea salt together and stir lightly with a fork to combine. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients. One cup at a time of the flour mixture, and blend until mixed before adding in the next one.

Add in oats and chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonful onto parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees until done. Remove pan from heat and let cookies cool on pan for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire cooling rack for about 20 minutes until completely cool and store in an air tight container.

Please share.

Summer Grilled Chicken Pecan Salad

Leave a reply

A salad is a great way to eat a healthy meal, if it is topped right. You can convert a plate of lettuce into something amazing with just a few ingredients.

Besides veggies and fruits, be sure to include proteins and healthy fats when making your salad too. There are vitamins and minerals in greens such as lettuce, kale, and spinach that require healthy fats to make them extractable and usable by the body.

A great thing about salad is that it can use up leftovers from a previous meal, and it can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated and still taste fresh when you go to eat it. That makes it a wonderful convenience and budget friendly food too.

One thing I really like about summer is cooking meat outside over hot coals. It gives meat such a delicious smoky flavor. And in my opinion, no meat on the planet tastes better with a side salad, or on the main entre salad than smoked meat! And a little goes a long way too. So go ahead and have a nice dinner with your grilled meat, but save a few extra pieces for leftovers to use as toppings on salads to enjoy later during the week too. Here is a delicious salad I made with leftover smoked grilled chicken breast.

Summer Grilled Chicken Pecan Salad

Ingredients:

Grilled Chicken 2 oz cut up

Romaine Lettuce 1 cup shredded

Baby Spinach Leaves 1/2 cup shredded

Romano or Plum Tomato 1 cut into small pieces

Pecans broken into large pieces 1/4 cup or 1 oz

Lemon 1/2 cut into wedges to squeeze out juice as dressing over salad.

Directions:

Wash, chop, cut, and toss!!! Your salad is now ready to serve! It just can’t get any easier other than if you made it up a day ahead, and all you had to do was walk to the fridge and pull out a delicious prepared salad when you are hungry.

Nutrition:

Calories 214 g; Carbohydrates 15.7 g; Net Carbs 12.4 g; Fiber 3.3 g; Protein 10.4 g; Fat 13.2 g; Vitamin A 6025 IU; Vitamin C 34.7 mg; Vitamin K 134 mcg; Niacin 3.9 mg; Folate 113 mcg; and a good source of manganese, magnesium, selenium, iron, potassium, zinc, and so much more.

Optional: a drizzle of good quality olive oil and a sprinkle of Himalayan sea salt would provide even more great nutrients to top off this salad with.

This is a delicious meal anytime of day. Lunch, supper, or split it into two side servings to go along with another meal. I would even eat it for breakfast too.

Enjoy!

Please share.