Lemon essential oil

Lemon Essential Oil

I love love love lemon essential oil. It smells amazing! It has wonderful properties and is very uplifting. I use it in my "flu bomb" blend, which I actually use for any sickness, we've never had the flu. I like to diffuse it with onguard. I have added it to a spray bottle with purify and water to freshen the interior of my car (which always has a "smell" we can't figure out with five kids) This freshens the interior and gets rid of random "mystery" smells. I put a drop in my water to detoxify. I add a drop to salad dressings. I use it in chicken marinade. It can replace lemon juice in any recipe. 

It takes 3000 lemons to produce one kilo of oil!!! Wow! Potent stuff. If applied to skin, it can be applied without dilution (neat) if desired, but do avoid sunlight for 12 hours.

There are sooo many uses for lemon essential oil, including:

Air pollution

Anxiety

Atherosclerosis

Bites/Stings

Blood pressure regulation

Blood sores

Colds

Concetration

Disenfectant

Dry throat

Dysentery

Energizing

Exhaustion

Fever

Flu

Furniture Polish

Gout

Greasy or oily hair

Grief/sorrow

Gum/grease removal

Hangovers

Hearburn

Intestinal Parasites

Kidney Stones

Lymphatic Cleansing

MRSA

Overeating

Pancreatitus

Physical Energy

Postpartum Depression

Purification

Relaxation

Skin toning

Stress

Throat Infection

Tonsillitis

Uplifting

Varicose Veins

Water Purification

Wow!!! So many uses for lemon essential oil! It is such a universal oil. I love it and I know you will too. Make sure you are ordering a pure essential oil. The fda only requires an essential oil to be 10% pure oil to list it as 100 % pure. The oils I use ARE 100% pure and are sourced from the best possible place for the particular plants to grow. 

Because the fda doesn't like anyone making claims they haven't "approved"

I am not a doctor. The information I have provided is purely informational and not intending to treat any disease. Please consult with your doctor before embarking on any treatment.

I'm brewing kombucha!

Don't know what kombucha is? Well I'll tell ya...
Kombucha is a fermented tea which has been consumed for thousands of years, an ancient elixir. Though the benefits of kombucha are completely based individually, some benefits it's known for are improving digestion, clearer thinking, and increased energy.
Here is a list of some other benefits from Kombucha Kamp website:

*Probiotics – healthy bacteria
*Alkalize the body – balances internal pH
*Detoxify the liver – happy liver = happy mood
*Increase metabolism – rev your internal engine
*Improve digestion – keep your system moving
*Rebuild connective tissue – helps with arthritis, gout, asthma, rheumatism
*Cancer prevention
*Alleviate constipation
*Boost energy – helps with chronic fatigue
*Reduce blood pressure
*Relieve headaches & migraines
*Reduce kidney stones
*High in antioxidants – destroy free-radicals that cause cancer
*High in polyphenols
*Improve eyesight
*Heal excema – can be applied topically to soften the skin
*Prevent artheriosclerosis
*Speed healing of ulcers – kills h.pylori on contact
*Help clear up candida & yeast infections
*Aid healthy cell regeneration
*Reduce gray hair
*Lower glucose levels – prevents spiking from eating

I'm not saying it will do any of these things for you, but it might. None of these statements have been approved by the FDA (haha, all the more reason to try it!) and I am not a medical doctor #disclaimer =)

Brewing kombucha is something I've wanted to do for quite awhile. I never started because I couldn't find a bottle of plain flavored kombucha locally, never really thought of ordering a bottle online. Well, I finally ordered a case, and then they sat in the fridge for awhile. FINALLY I did some research and decided to start brewing. I didn't have a SCOBY to start with though. I found instructions on how to grow my own, but apparently that is no longer recommended since the strength of kombucha that's allowed to be sold retail is not able to grow it itself. So I was stuck. No one I know brews is so I couldn't snag one from a friend. Finally I decided to order one from http://www.kombuchakamp.com/ They seemed very reputable and there are tons of articles and how-to's on brewing kombucha. I highly recommend visiting their site if  you have any interest in brewing. I was very excited when it arrived and wanted to start brewing right away! But somehow I failed to notice you need a gallon sized container (How did I miss that???) So I ordered one because I couldn't find one locally. I was itching to start and everytime I tried something was missing!!! FINALLY the jar came and I was able to start brewing. Here's a picture of my brew on the first day:

Today is day 8 and I took my first taste of the brew. You're supposed to take a straw and put it under the SCOBY and take a sip. Yeah, I kind of looked at it for a minute thinking "I really have to drink something with that thing floating on top???" I did it though. It tasted great! I think I'm going to give it a few more days of brewing though since this is my first time. I want to see how it tastes if you go longer. Not sure what my preferred "kombucha taste" is.
Here is a picture of it today:

The SCOBY multiplies every time you brew and a new one is formed. I think this is a really cool process. Next I need to figure out how I'm going to flavor it!!! So exciting! I know...I'm a dork.

And, by the way, I actually tried to grow my own SCOBY even though it was doubtful it would work:

Uh, yeah, a month later and nada. So save yourself the time and buy one! Or if you're local to me, I'd be happy to pass one on. Like I stated above, each time you brew a new SCOBY is formed. Fun stuff!

There is an initial cost to brewing your own kombucha, but over a few batches you'll make it back in what you would have spent if you bought bottled, and you'd have a far superior product. I think I spend $25 on the SCOBY and $10 or so on the gallon size jar. Considering a bottle in the store can range anywhere from $3-5, you'll make back that money quickly.

More later on my adventures with kombucha!

If you've tried brewing kombucha I would LOVE to hear about it!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone is looking forward to a healthy and happy 2013. I'm not one to make new years resolutions because I'm more of a "I want to do it NOW" kind of person. So if I'm feeling like I need a change regarding diet and exercise, I generally get started right away. But I do happen to have some current changes I would like to make, and it just happens to be the new year! I'll share those with you in a minute.

It's been a busy month and I feel we've gotten off track on a lot of things. We've been buried in snow, the picture above was after our first snow, our snow people family =)
This picture is after a foot of snow the following week...

As a friend said "Now they're wearing blankets." =)

I do feel like in the last month diet and exercise has definitely gotten off track for our whole family. Checking my log, I haven't ran in 3 weeks. It's so darn cold out there, and the ice and snow scare me a bit. I'm not a huge fan of running on the treadmill, it used to be the opposite. So I am resolving in the next couple weeks to explore some new (to me) indoor exercises. I will add some treadmill time in there so I don't totally loose the running bug, but mostly some fun indoor stuff. I have a stationary recumbent bike I use sometimes, but it's not all that exiting. I often do JM's 30 day shred dvd, and some random yoga ones, but it's been awhile. It'll be fun to try some new routines. If it ever thaws, I'll get out there and do some running, but until then I'll be in my warm cozy house burning some calories.

Food. There aren't a terrible amount of things I want to change but there are old habits I would like to bring back and some other minor changes. Every morning we used to have smoothies and freshly juiced juice. Now it seems it's one or the other. I've played with the idea of doing one at breakfast and one at lunch but then that means hubby loses out. Though, we do have a Green Star juicer and it has the longest "shelf life" for retaining vitamins and minerals in the fresh juice. So I could do it at lunch and save it for him when he gets home. That's an option. But I also know with homeschooling, lunch often needs to be quick and easy, like I'm talking minutes to prepare, haha. So I'm thinking back to how I used to do it. I would throw all the ingredients for the smoothies into the blender the night before and throw it in the fridge until morning. Generally the frozen fruit doesn't thaw completely, so it will still be smoothie consistency, if not, add a little ice. Then all I have to do in the morning is pull it out of the fridge and blend. This saves me about ten minutes in the morning, give or take. I also used to prepare the veggies for the juice the night before. Generally it was just carrot juice, so I would wash and cut the ends off the carrots. Then I would place them in a baking dish covered in water, cover the dish, and place in the fridge the night before. This also would save me about ten minutes, not to mention I could usually recruit a kid to juice it for me in the morning. So there's another ten minutes saved. I love starting the day with smoothies and juice because it makes me feel we've given ourselves a great start to the day. No matter what we eat the rest of the day, I know we've already started with some good nutrition. So if all I give my kids for lunch is pasta, I don't feel so bad =)

So there's the other thing. I'm really thinking, at least for myself, but I think two of my kids would also benefit greatly, to eliminate wheat and all gluten. I went a couple months with no grains at all and felt really good. Now, when I do eat a wheat product, I feel bloated and can feel it sitting in my belly. I really feel that if a food doesn't make you feel good, then you shouldn't eat it. By far this is much harder for me than eliminating meat ever was. I used to be vegan and vegetarian, but added raw organic dairy and organic pasture raised meat/poultry into our diets about seven years ago. Granted, we do eat a good amount of non-raw cheese, but that's more of a cost issue. It's hard to eat perfectly on a budget. I just try to do the best we can. I feel if that's the worst thing we eat, then we are doing okay. I have greatly decreased the amount of packaged food I buy. Though, we weren't buying/eating as much as the average American on the standard American diet, I did feel like we had too much. I now bake my own bread, granola bars, cookies, crackers, muffins, tortilla chips (flavored and not), nut clusters, dried fruits (my kids can plow through some dried apples),and many other snacks. If I have these snacks on hand it generally stops my kids from going and grabbing a packaged granola bar. I do hope to add more to this list and eventually not buy anything in a box.

I also have some new fun ideas for this blog for the future. I'm really excited about it! So stay tuned.
Please feel free to share your ideas for a healthy new year in the comments. I feel it's very helpful to put it out there so you are more accountable. Let's do this together!

First 5k

Last Saturday I spontaneously decided to run a 5k. The night before hubby started talking about it and decided he wanted to do it. I hadn't signed up for it because I didn't feel ready...but then hubby who has barely ran in the last year suddenly decided to do it, so that was a challenge, I had to do it. Though I did walk some of it, I finished it, and beat my previous time for 3 miles at home by almost 5 minutes. Of course hubby beat me by 3 minutes. But of course he was in some pain afterwards. That has only encouraged him to start running more. As for me, it has given me a goal of a time to beat, and to be able to run the whole thing. My internal battle with running continues and I am determined to beat it. At the very latest, I will be running another 5k in July, and I WILL run the whole thing =) I took a week off from running this last week but I am back to it tomorrow. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it. A friend told me to "just keep running". And that is what I will do!

Running - Suffering leads to glory

"Suffering leads to Glory".
 I read this statement on a sign outside a church on my way to the store. I was in week 4 of the Couch 2 5K program at the time. This statement seemed to come right at the moment I needed it. Running, to me, is as much of a mental battle to convince myself I can do it, as it is a physical battle to convince my body I can do it. It has never come easy to me. I have a love/hate relationship with running. I hate doing it, but LOVE how I feel after. Except for a brief time in college when I had trained myself to be able to run for 30 minutes straight, I have always struggled with running. It seems every time I get started on running, something happens that interferes and I stray, and then I have to start over. I am now on week 8 of the program (it's a 9 week program) and I keep asking myself why it isn't getting easier. Then I remember that in week 1 I was running for 1 minute at a time. In week 8 I am running for 28 minutes. Granted every 3-8 minutes I stop briefly for a water or quick catching my breath break (10-20 seconds). Though I wish I could run that 28 minutes straight through without stopping, it IS an improvement and I have to keep telling myself that. Week 9 brings 30 minutes of running, and I don't expect to be able to run the whole time, but I do hope to gradually improve on the length of time I can go without stopping. My goal is to be able to run for 30 minutes with very few breaks if any. I don't have any grand hopes or goals to run 10 miles....or a marathon, but for me, running for 30 minutes is HUGE. I actually feel like I'm almost there. I just have to remember that working through the pain is what is going to get me there, it's not going to be easy....Suffering leads to glory.

How to make natural food dye

Commercial food dyes are neurotoxins, so dying cakes and cookies is hard if you are avoiding food dyes. Ah, but it really isn't!!! There are some "natural" dyes on the market but if you've ever priced them, you'll be happy to know the options below are MUCH cheaper! Here are some suggestions for natural food dyes, and keep reading for a sample cookie frosting recipe. Please remember these are "food" dyes and may alter the taste so color and taste a little at a time. But to be honest, I've tried all of the below and the only one I noticed a taste in was the cocoa. But don't take my word for it, please taste as you go =) These can all be used for frosting OR batter.

Green: Juice spinach or kale

Purple: You could juice blueberries. Or I like to buy Wyman's frozen blueberries. If you let them defrost in a bowl, it will produce a beautiful purple dye.

Yellow: Tumeric

Brown: Cocoa powder

Pink: Pomegranate juice, cherry juice. Mash a handful of fresh raspberries and push through a sieve. Beet juice.

Orange: Carrot juice

Blue: Spinach or kale juice and tumeric
Now I haven't tried this, but a friend of mine wanted blue and was surprised blueberries didn't make blue =) She had some green frosting, so she mixed the green and purple and ended up with an aqua type color. It actually looked really good!

Here's a great cookie frosting recipe. It dries hard and shiny. Great for all kinds of decorating on cookies.


3 cups organic powdered sugar
4 TB organic milk
1/2 ts organic vanilla extract
2 ts agave nectar OR 4 ts organic light corn syrup

In a bowl, stir together the milk and sugar. On a low speed, mix in the other ingredients until smooth and shiny. Slowly add in your food dye. I would suggest a teaspoon at a time. (If it's too thin, add a little more powdered sugar slowly. If it's too thick (after you've added the dye) add a tiny bit of milk at a time.)

The firetruck cookies below used 5 ts of spinach juice, there was no taste change: (The kids helped frost and we aren't perfectionists, haha, so disregard the mess)

Great water bottles!

With all the cruddy plastic and metal bottles out there, it's hard to decide what to use for water on the go. If you must use plastic, find a #2 plastic bottle. As for metal, that's a really hard one. We used to use Sigg bottles...and then they were recalled for having bpa in the lining on the inside! Ugh! You think you're buying a safe bottle and it turns out it's anything but. They did replace the bottles with new ones that supposedly don't have bpa in the lining. But I'm still skeptical on the safeness of them. If water sits in the them for more than a day (which they recommend you not do anyway) it gets a funny taste. So I only use my Sigg bottles if I absolutely have to. I found a while back these bottles: http://www.lifefactory.com/ They are glass bottles, totally safe, no leaching. They are wrapped in a silicone sleeve for easy gripping and protection. I've dropped one of these on concrete and it didn't break. Though...I dropped mine at a museum this past weekend...on a glass floor, and the bottle shattered. So they are not indestructible. I stand behind that glass is the best option, unless you're somewhere that doesn't allow glass (amusement parks and such). Plus these bottles are really neat looking =)

My thoughts on starting an exercise or weight loss program

It seems everywhere you look these days there are weight loss programs. Everyone it seems wants to lose weight. Or just start an exercise program. Considering the dietary habits of this country it's no wonder this is such a huge market. So where do you start? There are SO many options. Some may work for some and not for others. There's exercise plans, menu planning, supplements. It's enough to make one a bit crazy and just give up. But that right there is why this country is so unhealthy...well that and the mounds of fast food consumed. In my opinion the absolute FIRST thing you should is look at your diet. DO NOT eat fast food. Did you get that? Just DON'T! Start with more home cooked meals. You'll save tons of calories. Granted, you need to be smart about the choices in meals you prepare. Yes, making fettuccine alfredo from scratch with whole wheat and organic ingredients is MUCH better for you than restaurant made. But that doesn't make it "good" for you. Occasional treat? Sure. Put it on your menu once a month. It'll give you something to look forward to. Start your meal planning with well rounded meals. Even in a rush you can throw together some leaf lettuce and dressing as a side dish. My kids are used to atleast one meal a day is going to have a salad. Sometimes it's just lettuce. Sometimes I might have some chopped veggies in the fridge already and I'll throw those on. A couple times a week I'll actually throw together a nicer salad. I would say most people need more veggies in their diet. Start writing down what you eat, maybe you'll notice you should add more veggies too. Also, please limit the amount of meat at any meal to 8oz. You really would do well limiting yourself to 8oz of meat total in a day. Your colon doesn't like meat. If your colon gets backed up it causes about a million different problems. Okay, maybe not a million, but a lot.
Next, start an exercise program. How much time do you spend watching tv in the evening? Well if you answered any at all then you could spend that time exercising. I am well aware that most folks would like to relax in the evening. I have four kids, believe me, I'm with you on that. Say you watch an hour or two of tv, you could spend 30 minutes of that exercising. Whether you do calisthenics or sit ups or push ups, doesn't matter, just start doing something rather than nothing. If you have an exercise bike or treadmill, if possible, move it into the living room. For the first 30 minutes you watch tv spend it on those. THEN sit your butt on the couch and relax. Still plenty of time to relax and watch tv. And you'll notice that if you watch tv while exercising it goes much faster!!! Once you get yourself moving you'll notice it gets easier. It always does. It seems everyone has a Kindle or Nook these days. Grab it, hit a stationary bike and spend 30 minutes burning calories while you get some good reading in.  Here are some resources for some great exercise programs.
First is Dr. Mercola's Peak Fitness. 20 minutes 3 times a week will greatly increase your health:
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/12/24/a-fountain-of-youth-in-your-muscles.aspx
The Couch 2 5K program is great. 9 weeks and you'll be running three miles:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Bottom line: Start a diet log...are you consuming good quality calories? 1000 calories of lean protein and organic veggies will do a lot more for your health than 1000 calories of french fries and donuts. The amount of calories isn't as important as the quality. And start moving, doesn't matter where you start, the point is you start. 

Thyroid problem?

Many, many people have thyroid problems. There are many things you can do to help this problem without taking prescription drugs. A big thing is to avoid soy! If underactive, you will also want to avoid raw cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, etc) If overactive, you will want to eat plenty of them. Peanuts are another to avoid. And with many other problems, take a good quality (preferably raw) multi-vitamins, and pro biotic. A b-complex is very important too. Kelp is essential for an underactive thyroid. For more information and specific dosages please refer to the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing.

Plastic

Since the "BPA scare of '08" the general public has been more aware of the plastics they use. Think about it, do you really want to ingest plastic. Ick, plastic? Some plastics leach into the foods they come in contact with. Here is a basic list of the types of plastic. Flip over your plastic bottle and look at the recycling symbol on the bottom. That number is the type of plastic you're dealing with.

#1 PETE, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) Transparent. Soda, water bottles, cooking oil, medicine bottles. Generally safe to use, do NOT reuse. Usually recyclable.

#2 HDPE (high density polyethylene) Sturdy, harder plastic. Used in storage containers, milk, and detergent bottles, etc. Safe. Recyclable. 

#3 PVC (polyvinyl chloride) used for plastic wrap, detergent, and cooking oil bottles.Increases the risk of birth defects and hormone-related cancers. Production is hazardous to workers and the environment. Not safe. Not recyclable.

#4 LDPE (low density polyethylene) Flexible plastic. Bags, wraps. Not for reuse. Somewhat safe. Not recyclable.

#5 PPE, PP (polypropylene) Pliable plastic. Squeeze bottles, reusable food containers, etc. Safe. Recyclable.

#6 PS (polystyrene) Used in rigid take-out containers and foam meat trays. Can leach styrene when heated, a possible endocrine disruptor and carcinogen. Not safe if heated. Not recyclable.

#7 Other (usually polycarbonate) This was used in baby bottles (most have been banned since BPA became known about publically) Five gallon water jugs, reusable water bottles. It can leach a hormone disruptor called bisphenol A (BPA). Worse when heated. Stay away from this plastic at all costs! Not safe. Not recyclable.

Tips to avoid plastic leaching in your food:
-Heat up food in glass or ceramic containers
-Store food in the refrigerator in glass, ceramic, stainless steel, or PVC-free plastic wrap
-Do not use plastic containers for anything that leaves a residue that will have to be scoured. Scratches in the containers cause more leaching.
-Don't cover hot food with plastic wrap, let it cool first.
-Wash plastics by hand as much as possible. The dishwasher heats up the plastic, making more likely to leach, and causes scratches, causing more leaching.
-Use wax paper, butcher paper, #5 reusable sandwich container, or #4 plastic bags for sandwiches.
-Use a water pitcher made of #2 or #5 plastic, glass, or stainless steel
-Use #4 freezer bags, or glass labeled "freezer safe". Always let food cool first!
-Do not store food in plastic containers labeled 3, 6, or 7 ever.
-For dry food storage, use #5 plastic containers, or glass, or stainless steel.

Ingredients to Avoid

This list will continue to be added to as needed.
A good rule to follow when reading ingredient labels...if you can't pronounce it, don't buy it.

-Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
-High fructose corn syrup
-Bleached flour
-Iodized salt
-Pasteurized or homoginized dairy products
-Commercial dairy products and meat
-Commerical pesticide riden vegetables
-Aspartame
-Soy
-Refined white sugar
-Aluminum
-Modified food starch
-Food dyes
-Canola (rapeseed) oil
-Fluoride
-MSG (this can go by many other names!)
-Genetically modified food


The following would only be in personal care products. If you find them in food, Augh, don't eat it.

-Propylene Glycol - antifreeze. causes liver and kidney damage. (These are in some food dyes too and medications)

-Sodium laurel/laureth sulfate - skin irritant. Reacts with other ingredients to form carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins. Your body will absorb this upon use. You are exposed to 50-100 X more nitrates using a product containing this than you would consuming bacon with sodium nitrate. Enters the brain, heart, and liver and impairs the immune system, eye and skin irritant, and allergic reactions.

-Aluminum (made both lists)- Suspected link to Central Nervous System dysfunction like Alzheimer's.

-Mineral Oil - derived from petroleum. Suffocates the skin, clogs pores. Possible carcinogen.

-DEA, TEA, MEA - Carcinogen

-Titanium dioxide -Carcinogen

-Collagen and elastin - derived from animal skin and chicken feet. And if that wasn't enough, over moisturizes skin, and has the ability to make bacteria grow.

-Formaldehyde - may be listed as formalin. Absorbed into the body and can cause allergic reactions, headaches, and asthma. Mostly found in nail polish. Look for nail polish labeled formaldehyde-free. Suspected carcinogen. Neurotoxin.

-Talc - doesn't allow skin to breathe. Linked to ovarian cancer. Carcinogen when inhaled....found in baby powder. In the lubricant on condoms...can cause fallopian tube fibrosis and infertility.

-Fluoride - environmental toxin. May contain lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, radionuclide. Bone disease. Carcinogen.

-Fragrance, Synthetic - when listed as "fragrance" on a label this can include 100's of chemicals. Some have been found to be neurotoxins and carcinogens.