March 4, 2009 at 2:43 pm (better health)
Tags: family, fish, food, health, life
I must say I’m proud of my husband. So far he’s doing pretty good sticking with his new food plan. I will not call it a diet because I hate that word. The first three letters, die, not good and it just has a bad rep. I prefer using food for life plan.
I’m not sure when we last ate red meat. It’s pretty over rated really. We had some wonderful fish today with mandarin oranges and avocados. Yesterday we had roasted egg plant with a metatrainian type salad and quinoa, an ancient grain.
He is also watching his portion sizes and eating more small meals instead of one big meal a day. These are all good things and make good sense. I’m glad he is going about trying to lose weight in a smart way.
1 Comment
February 26, 2009 at 10:30 am (better health)
Tags: food, health, milk, sun, vitamin D
I love sunshine and being outside. And now sunshine and the vitamin D it creates in our bodies is getting a lot of press.
I first read an article on the benefits of sunshine a little over a year ago in of all places my favorite magazine Mother Earth News. Now the articles are everywhere.
Getting the correct amount of vitamin D from the sun in the winter can be tricky if you live in colder climates. The supplement D3 does seem to work though.
This winter I given D3 a try. I live north of Denver and not only can it be too cold to be outside, but the sun itself is not strong enough to have full benefits.
My personal results have been pretty. So far, no colds (knock on wood) even when all those around me have been sneezing and coughing. I’ve been taking one supplement 3 times a week. When I’m able to be outside more I’ll back off on the supplements.
I’ve also upped my in take of fortified milk. I almost never drank milk until about 6 months ago. Since I’m not crazy about just drinking milk I eat about 4 bowls of cereal a week. I’ve also added yogurt to my diet about 4 days a weeks.
So now I have a reason to be outside, not that I needed one before. But instead of just soaking rays I’m also soaking up vitamin D.
Leave a Comment
February 18, 2009 at 11:22 pm (better health)
Tags: diet, drinks, family, food, health, weight
What we eat matters just as much as how much we eat. That is really true in our home. My husband is over weight and has intestinal problems. I can certainly out eat him but he prefers things like large amounts red meat, cheddar cheese and sweets. He drinks only coffee all day long or a glass of whole milk. Not the best things to eat or drink.
We have slowly over the last few weeks been changing the diet. Lots more vegetables and some fruits, more fish and less meat. I’m still working on pushing the water and juices instead of coffee.
My husband has decided to do a 7 day cleanse program to help with his intestinal problems. I’m not fully on board with this, but at least he has done lots of research on the product. I have also pointed out that if he does the cleanse then he should make permanent changes to his diet.
The cleanse and diet will start this weekend. I’ll post more about it in the coming weeks.
Leave a Comment
February 15, 2009 at 4:10 pm (being a witch)
Tags: food, gardener, herbs, Mother Nature, nature, vegetarian, witch
After a passing remark about my Witches Calendar last week I was asked why I had one. My response was because I’m a witch. Most people that have known me for a while realize this about me without having to be told. To the casual observer it’s something that might never be noticed.
My nose is not long with warts on the end. I don’t have a pointy black hat and a herd of cats following me. I usually keep most of my beliefs to myself and don’t share my rather unique knowledge openly.
Over time there are a few things that people begin to notice. I am passionate about protecting and preserving Mother Earth. I am an organic gardener, growing a lot of our food along with herbs and flowers. I am not a true vegetarian, but I prefer fresh and raw over preserved and cooked.
I don’t have a lot of trust in western medicine. For common alignments I relay on remedies passed down from my grandmothers. Herbs are the base of these remedies.
Do these thing alone make me a witch? Certainly not, it goes much deeper. But like I said, I don’t share to openly all at once. But I am not all that unique. There are probably other witches that have crossed your path.
Leave a Comment
February 13, 2009 at 12:09 am (money savings)
Tags: energy, food, green, money, recession, waste, water
For all of us green geeks there is a green lining to the recession. It’s not that we would wish anyone bad fortune, but for many years we have been trying to convince others that this country wastes a lot of stuff. Finally, mostly because of the current recession we are being heard and even listened to.
So why now? It’s pretty simple, wasted stuff equals wasted money.
And people in the country waste an incredible amount of resources and stuff every day. Don’t believe me, just check your trash can, closets and cabinets.
It is estimated that 35 to 50 percent of all the food bought is later thrown out. Spoiled food before it was used and uneaten left overs are the two biggest categories of waste.
Look in your closet and drawers, do you wear everything on a regular basis? I know women that buy clothes and never wear them. They give things away with the tags still on them.
What about water and energy. If your home isn’t air tight your wasting energy. How much stuff is plugged in right now that’s not in actual use? You’ve got to know by now that your wasting energy. Water is wasted in alarming amounts. Do you brush your teeth with the water running? If you do your wasting water. And don’t even get me started on lawns, they are one of the biggest wastes suburban America ever came up with.
So yes, green geeks are finally happy that others are at least listening to us and even joining our band wagon. Were not real happy that it took a recession to do it, but sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.
Leave a Comment
February 12, 2009 at 8:03 am (money savings)
Tags: cleaning supplies, energy audit, entertainment, food, meatless, saving money
Okay, so if you’ve read some of my saving green blogs, you probably realize that each one of us can cut some fat out of our budgets. Cutting spending doesn’t mean living a boring life in a cave if you use just a little creativity.
For entertainment go to the dollar movie theather, borrow a video from the library or have a game night.
Instead of buying cleaning supplies or beauty supplies look in the kitchen for the ingredients you need to make your own.
Change the way you eat, for the better. Go meatless one or two nights a week using beans or eggs instead. Shop carefully and use what you buy. Lots of food goes bad sitting in the frig before it is ever used.
Shop around for the best insurance rates for your needs. Also shop around for the best bank. Look for interest rates and free services.
When it comes to clothes and home furnishing think second hand.
And don’t forget the energy audit. Most people are shocked how much money they can save by doing just a few simple things.
Need more ideas, search the web. One of Denver’s local news stations has been doing a daily story on beating the recession. The have hundreds of great ideas.
Leave a Comment
February 1, 2009 at 11:30 pm (health ideas)
Tags: common cold, drink, exercise, food, healthy, sleep
There is no doubt about it, getting sick is expensive. Even the common cold can cost a couple of hundred dollars if you add up lost wages, a trip to the doctor and medicine. Sooner or later we all will catch something, but prevention really is the best cure.
We’ve all heard these things a hundred times, but they really do work so they are worth repeating. Eat right, get plenty of sleep, drink fluids, get some exercise and wash your hands.
Food is key to staying healthy. Eating right includes the types of food you eat and how and when you eat. Try and eat lots of fruits and vegetables and only a little meat. Eating fresh is better than eating processed food. Eat small amounts a few times day, think of it like grazing.
I’m a big fan of lots of sleep. I almost always get 8 hours a night. A rested body functions better and gets the down time needed to stay well.
What you drink is as important as what you eat. I enjoy a cup or two of tea a day. I have boxes and boxes of tea so I always have a good selection to pick from. I also keep juice in the refrigerator, usually cranberry or grape. Water is a simple and quick option. I try to avoid alcohol.
For exercise I do yoga 3 or 4 times a week. It’s also a get stress reliever. Pick an exercise that you enjoy and is easy to access.
Your mother was right, wash your hands often. I don’t use anti-bacterial soap and some studies show it doesn’t works any better than just plain old hot water.
During the winter when lots of people around me are sick I take an immune building supplement a couple of times of weeks. For most people that is enough to stay healthy. To many vitamins can be a bad thing.
Staying healthy is more than just luck, you do have to work at it, but the pay off is worth it.
Leave a Comment
January 26, 2009 at 11:40 pm (money savings)
Tags: eating, economy, food, freezer, garden, green, saving money
No matter how bad the economy is we all need to eat. But most people could cut their food bills considerably and save some green.
This week I’ve come across some interesting stats that point to the fact that people are rethinking how they eat. While restaurant revenues are down, cookware and cookbook sales are up. And people aren’t spending as much money on high end flashy appliances, but they are buying more freezers.
Here are some other good ideas for saving money on food.
First, watch the waste. Your not saving if your over buying and throwing food out. If the vegetables are at the end of their shelf live and you can’t eat them all now then freeze them. You can still use them later in soups and stews.
Second, go to the source. I buy all our bread at the Rainbow store. I can buy Sara Lee multi grain bread for $1.25 a loaf.
Third, if you have a freezer buy in bulk. We are getting ready to buy half a side of beef from the butcher. It’s cheaper than even buying in bulk from the store. If thats way to much meat for your family then split it with friends.
Fourth, grow your own food. Anybody can grow a few vegetables and herbs. I usually grow a large garden and enjoy the produce all year.
Everywhere you look today there are hints on saving on your food bill. It’s really not hard to do if you put a little bit of thought into “what’s for dinner tonight.”
Leave a Comment
January 22, 2009 at 12:40 am (Mother Nature)
Tags: food, global warming, nature, rain, snow, weather
Most if not all of Colorado should look like this picture in January. That is not the case right now, it is way to warm on the plains of Colorado. Today Denver was 71 degrees.
Don’t panic, yet, if your a skier, there is plenty of snow in the mountains for now. But if it stays this warm that too could change.
You might worry if you eat though. There is no snow on the plains where all types of food is grown and raised. Winter wheat needs moisture and we relay on the moisture now to ensure grass for cattle this spring and water for irrigation later in the year.
Is it global warming? Could be. It doesn’t matter what it is, if it doesn’t rain or snow soon it will just be to late and to dry and the name of the problem won’t matter.
Leave a Comment
January 4, 2009 at 7:31 pm (better health, green health, health ideas)
Tags: balanced lifestyle, exercise, food, health, rest
Somethings I just don’t understand. Why do people eat a super sized burger and fry meal with a diet drink? Why do some people skip breakfast and lunch only to eat a 3000 calorie dinner one hour before bed? Why do some people never eat fish but take a hand full of fish oil pills each day?
A healthy body is all about a balanced lifestyle. As important as any modern medicine are three things that we can all control in our own lives, food, rest and exercise.
A balanced diet and proper portions are easy to achieve and will make you feel better in about a week. Getting enough sleep, which is about 7 hours for adults, will make you feel better by the next morning. Exercise is hard for a lot of us, but it doesn’t have to be. Take a walk at lunch or walk up and down the stairs a few extra times. Get a yoga mat and start doing leg lifts. Meet a friend for a swim. Just move more, you will feel better in no time.
Enjoying life is really about enjoying balance.
Leave a Comment
« Older entries
