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Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

The Smoothie Kick; Jumpstart at Breakfast

Posted in Health, In The Kitchen - Recipes, tagged , , on April 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Central-Market-Whey-Protein-242x187I have known for many years that I feel positively better when I include protein in each meal, but my focus on breakfast was eggs, meat, or cheese.

I have discovered a new personal favorite, a smoothie to start my day.

These smoothies do not spike my blood sugar, and even though I drink them between 7:00 – 7:30 a.m., I do not feel hungry as the morning progresses. My energy level is sustained for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. By then, it is time for lunch.

I start my smoothie mix with non-fat milk, about 7 ounces. I add slightly less than one scoop of Central Market whey powder, and then I add fresh (that I freeze myself) fruit.

My personal favorite smoothie fruits are granny smith apples (with a touch of lemon juice as a nature preservative), several slices of peaches, and about 1/8 cup (or less) of blueberries or blackberries.

This equates to a low-fat, easy to digest protein packed blend, with nutrition that rapidly goes into the bloodstream.

What have you found that sustains you throughout your morning or afternoon?

If you drink smoothies, what recipe do you enjoy?

Have you tried peanut butter and cocoa? I’ve not gone that route yet. Would love to hear if you have!

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Wild Rose Hips

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm), Health, tagged , on October 13, 2012| 2 Comments »

wild rose hips

Wild Rose Hips

While admiring the berries and fruits I found along the wooded paths during my most recent walk, I also noticed wild rose hips. We are abundant in wild roses in our area. Overlooking the fact that the long stemmed bushes are full of small thorns, which stick to a person’s clothes and legs – ouch, I enjoy their beauty and scent throughout the warmer seasons. I had nearly forgotten the amazing health benefits of  rose hips.

Benefits and uses:

  • high in vitamin C – more than the citrus groups
  • rich in bioflavanoids, pectin, Vitamin E, selenium, manganese, and the B-complex vitamins, trace amounts of magnesium, potassium, sulfur and silicon
  • use in jelly, syrup, wine or tea

Rose hips ripen after the first frost – hence their bright color this season (we’ve had several frosts).

I am gathering the beauties for rose hip tea, and to add to herbal teas that I already have in the pantry. The health benefits are outstanding.

Nature is to be treasured!

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The Best Day Ever

Posted in All In A Day's Time, General Reflections, Health, Inspirations, tagged , , , on April 4, 2012| 11 Comments »

The Best Day Ever

With the mindset of Seeing Life With Imagination, a blog post I published a few days ago (with a focus on seeing through the eyes of a child), I saw this beautiful stray violet this morning.

The violet popped up alone, right below the utility trailer where I store the hay for the goats, in a patch of dirt that we recently worked – hoping to sow and grow some lush green grass.

What did I see in the tiny violet? Hope.  Beauty.  A promise that even though we may feel tired, alone, overwhelmed, and even discouraged, the small things in life are wonderous.  We need to pay attention.

My remarkable coach and friend, Donna Maria Coles Johnson from the Indie Beauty Network, said the words yesterday (and it isn’t the first time I’ve heard her say it), “Today is the best day ever!” Donna Maria sees the violets.  She sees life with gusto.

The best day ever.  Be the violet.  Make your world happen despite anything else in life.  Are you there with me?

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – where you can Smell and Feel the Goodness!

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Natural Isn’t Always The Best Choice

Posted in Health, Skin and Hair Care, tagged , , , , on February 10, 2012| 9 Comments »

Natural is good, to a degree.  I like natural.

My husband recently developed hives and then his arms and legs began to swell.   He downed antihistamines for a few days before we sat down with a calendar and tracked the start of the itching to one particular week.  That week he went to the dentist and was prescribed antibiotics.  A few days later he quit taking the pills, blaming them for the developing welps.  A new truck also came into play.  I was the one allergic to the truck (sneezing, stuffed nose, etc…).  And then we also remembered that we had switched to hand-made natural laundry soap that very same week.  Bingo.

The natural laundry-soap helped me with my sensitivities to certain fragrances, but it certainly did not help my husband with his skin.  Once we realized the laundry soap was the culprit I immediately re-washed every fabric that he comes into contact with, and just like that, at a snap of a finger, his arms and legs quit swelling.

There is a reason we have conveniences.  There is a reason some products are commercially made.  And sometimes natural isn’t the best, not for everyone.

Yesterday someone mentioned a supplement that they wanted to try for weight loss.  My interest was piqued, and my questions followed.  How does it work with your prescriptions? What side effects does the supplement have? Has it been time-tested, or safety tested? The person replied to me, “It is all natural, it has to be good for you!” Wrong! Very, very wrong!

An all natural body cream, with no preservatives (and there is NO natural preservative that works effectively), is trouble waiting to happen.  Do you want to spread invisible fungus on your body? An all natural supplement does not guarantee safety (Google all natural supplementst that have resulted in permanent health damage and death).  A mushroom is natural, but that does not mean we can pick just any mushroom from the forest and cook it for dinner.

As I said, I like natural.  I like foods and cosmetics made from whole ingredients, but natural does not mean safe.  And natural does not mean no chemicals, every natural thing that exists on this Earth is made up of chemical compounds.  Chemistry and chemicals are not four letter words.

Buy smart.  Live smart.  Be smart.  Natural isn’t always the answer.

 

Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps – Smell and Feel the Goodness!

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Constant and Consistent

Posted in All In A Day's Time, General Reflections, Goat Care (and General Farm), Health, Inspirations, tagged , , , , on June 16, 2011| 13 Comments »

My alone time with the goats normally comes to light in the early morning hours as I am milking one of them.  The barn, where the milk room is located, is normally quiet and abandoned as most of the herd is outside grazing or rummaging through the hay I just placed in their feeders.

This morning as I enjoyed a peaceful moment with one of the milkers my thoughts turned to the goat.

She isn’t the prettiest goat in the world.  She looks rather thin.  She is very healthy.  Her scraggly winter coat has been shed.  What is left is her glossy “summer-do.”  She comes to the milk room to do a job for me.  She puts every ounce of her body into her milk.  She puts on no airs.  She does her job well.  She provides the amount of quality milk that no other doe provides.  She does not complain.  She requires no special care.

Isn’t that how we (as humans) should be? We produce without complaints because we are given the daily opportunity to do so? We do not need to be beautiful, because we are a special and unique begin to begin with.  If we do what is needed, consistently, we will provide for ourselves (and others) so much more than what is needed…calmly, on a daily basis.

Why rush? Why hurry? Why try to be someone we are not? We simply put our best foot forward and give in to what does come naturally, and happily.

Thank you to the not-so-pretty, un-named goat.  You not only provide beautiful milk for our lotions and soaps, you provide a lesson in life.

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Keeping Your Eyes On The Horizon

Posted in All In A Day's Time, General Reflections, Health, Inspirations, tagged , , on March 31, 2011| 12 Comments »

About 6 weeks ago my husband and I started a weight loss program. 

I will not bore you with all of the details of our weight loss plan, but I will tell you we integrated less calories (no seconds at meals) with a focus on whole grains, little (to no) white flour/potatoes/sugar, and a diet loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables.  Is it working? Yes.  Is it difficult? One huge YES!!!!

My slips and slides, spikes of insulin, have lessened, but now the cravings have returned.  It has brought me to comparing the weight loss endeavor to life itself.

How do we stick with a plan? We focus on the horizon.

Small business owners go through ups and downs while growing their businesses.  Is their product what they want it to be? Are their customers really happy? One day it feels right, the next day it feels all wrong.  It is a natural part of doing business, but, without an eye on the horizon, without the steadfast walk towards the goal, it could be a matter of crash and burn.

Weight loss is no different.  Like the carrot dangling in front of the rabbit in the race, if the picture that we want to create of ourselves (a healthier body, or a smaller size) is not retained as a goal, we will eventually give in to our cravings and weight loss will be thrown to the way-side.

Life is full of frustrations, side-tracks, and little lies that tell us that doing what is right is just too difficult.  Na-da!

Keep your eye on the horizon.  Keep your eye on the goal.  Don’t look to the right, nor to the left.  Look where you want to go. 

I believe, do you?

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Breaking Down Goat Milk – Caprylic Acid

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm), Health, tagged , , , on March 30, 2011| 8 Comments »

Breaking Down Goat Milk – Unit #1 – Caprylic Acid

In personal care products and soaps there are many different types of “acids” that can be included that are good for the health of a person’s skin, one of which is caprylic acid. 

What is caprylic acid?

Caprylic acid is a fatty acid found in the milk of many mammals.  It can also be found in coconut and palm kernel oil.  Caprylic acid is very easily digested and absorbed.

Caprylic acid, along with caproi and capric (all named after goats), total 15% in goat milk fat.  For comparison purposes, cow’s milk contains 7%.

What is a fatty acid?

In easy (non-chemistry) terms, a fatty acid is a major component of fats that is used by the body for energy and tissue development (skin being of great importance), a major component of cellular lipids (lipids are fats that are very important to our bodies – they can help lubricate the joints, boost brain function, and promote vitamin absorption). 

A body cannot generate its own fatty acids, they must be ingested via nutrition or a supplement. 

Note:  As we researched caprylic acid we were surprised by the mass availability of it in supplement form.  It is used by many, even to fight off certain infections.  It makes the brain churn a bit more, one more thumb’s up for goat milk!

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Fit Body Fit Mind

Posted in Health, tagged , , , , on May 23, 2010| 12 Comments »

A healthy body does help maintain a healthy mind. 

Ask a runner the question, “When do you feel at your worst?”  They generally reply that they feel sluggish and downcast after skipping their exercise routine.

I have not felt 100% since mid-winter.  I (try to) blame it on February 2010 – snow storms, no outdoor activity, and a lot of dreary weather.  There wasn’t much to be done except eat and look forward to spring.  Now that spring is here, and nearly summer, I have extra pounds around my middle, and I am out of excuses.  Even though I will not turn this blog into my personal fitness journal, I will be checking in now and then to talk about my trek towards a sharper mind and body.  

If you are like me, perhaps you do not like the couch or armchair very much.  Perhaps you do not like to park your tush at the television either.  You might be active, as I am, but you do not engage in deliberate exercise.   That is where I am at, always active, but have never been athletic.

My initial plans are to dust off the exercise bike and the weights, all done in “baby steps.”  I am a strong believer that too much pain leads to too much discouragement.

Cutting out seconds at the dinner table normally does the trick for me.  And watching the fat content as well.   And, there will not be any purchases of trigger foods for a while.  Do you have a trigger food, one that you simple cannot stay out of if you know it is in the house? My problem food is cheese.  I love it all too much! Me and cheese have a love affair going on!

How about you? What do you do to maintain a healthy body?

P.S.  I do not believe woman need to be a size 2 to be beautiful or healthy.  We can be healthy, feel healthy, live healthy, and be happy, while enjoying the bounties of life.

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The Sense Of Smell

Posted in All In A Day's Time, Health, tagged , , on May 15, 2010| 7 Comments »

Because I am fond of aroma I am very much aware of the miracle of our olfactory system (the sensory system in our body that is used for our sense of smell).

I do believe humans are less sensitive to scent than they were when they were created. Humans that have not been subjected to chemicals and man-made fragrances throughout their lives have a much sharper sense of smell, nearing the level that an animal has. Almost a 6th sense to us. We, on average, obviously do not have such capabilities.

I also find it interesting that our perception of aroma is swayed by the scents that surround us. An example of this is an essential oil blend that smelled one way to me in the house, quite different in my shop, and once again different outdoors.

It has been said that our sense of smell is 10,000 stronger than any of our other senses. I believe it! And I feel we depend upon it much more than we are aware of.

Try to eat when you cannot breathe through your nose. Food becomes unappealing. Take a walk in the woods, or at the beach without the sense of smell. Much would be missing. Cooking, and even cleaning, also depend upon our wonderful noses. Imagine searing a beautiful cut of meat, or a vegetable, without the use of the nose to detect the changes occurring in the pan. Even the suggestion of danger from smoke reminds us that our sense of smell is priceless.

I was surprised last week while shopping for tomato plants. All at once I was reminded of beautiful pure essential oils. It was absolutely refreshing. As I looked up I saw three potted herbs; lavender, thyme, and rosemary. What a blessing!

Are you too an aroma-aware person? Try to live without it, wouldn’t it be difficult?

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Focus On Your Strengths

Posted in Health, Inspirations on May 6, 2010| 6 Comments »

Majestic Strength

 

I am a huge believer that each person is blessed with talents and strengths.  

I am also a huge believer of not focusing on your own weaknesses. 

When you focus on your strengths you get better at “your best.”  

When you focus on your weaknesses you draw away from what is best about you. 

Have you ever been very frustrated at something that you thought you should be an instant success at? Something that simply baffled you to no end? When that happens it does not mean you are a failure.  It means you need to give yourself time and patience.  

Focus on what you are best at, what comes naturally to you.  Your talents will then shine, and your healthy well-being will thank you for it.

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