Detoxify Your Life - Healthy Fats

Day 3 of the Detoxify Your Life Challenge from 360YourLife.com is here!  Today is all about FAT!  Sometime in the last 20 years, everyone began to associate being overweight with consuming fats.  The food market began pumping out all kinds of foods labeled "Fat Free" or "Low Fat".... yet the obesity epidemic has continued to skyrocket!  All these chemicals added to food in order to make them "low fat", or "fat free" have since been proven to be more harmful for our health, and actually a cause of unhealthy weight gain.  Check out the labels of foods that claim to be "fat free" or "low fat", the natural fats have been stripped away, but often replaced with starch or sugar and sugar substitutes to replace the flavor of the natural fat content.  It's probably better if you avoid any product labeled "fat free" or "low fat" and instead, focus on getting natural foods that are already low in fat.  Also, there is such a thing as "Good" fat, and certain fats are necessary to help us have a balanced diet and a properly functioning body!  Just cutting out fats alone will not make you lose weight, as our society is quickly learning!  Especially when these fats are simply being replaced by unnecessary sugars, chemically altered sugar substitutes, and addictive nutrient free starch!

Healthy fats can actually lower your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol.  They also improve brain function, improve your mood, provide energy, and help the health of your skin, hair, and fingernails.  Monounsaturated fatty acids are one example of healthy fats and can be found in Avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and poultry.  Polyunsaturated fats are also beneficial to your health and are most commonly found in fish such as salmon and mackerel.  There are a few sources of saturated fats which are also considered to be good for you (although most sources of Saturated fat are not good for you, if you get them through the right sources they are proven not to increase cholesterol levels) and these are the fats from coconut oil, organic grass-fed beef, and butter that is organic and made from grass-fed cows.  The fats to avoid are called "Trans fats" and these are typically found in fried foods, and any food with oils added.  Another name for Trans fat is "partially hydrogenated oil" and this should be avoided.

Today's challenge is to find a recipe using a "healthy fat" from this list of foods which naturally contain the best kinds of healthy fat.

Avocados
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Nuts
Seeds
Beef (Clean / Organic / Grass Fed)
Salmon (wild caught)
Poultry (Clean /Organic / Free Range / Vegetarian Fed)
Raw, Organic Butter (from grass fed cows)

Find ways to incorporate these healthy fats into your cooking, snacking, and general diet.  Avoid the things with Trans Fats and Partially hydrogenated oil, as well as staying away from things labeled "Fat Free" or "Low Fat".

My Favorite easy Salmon recipe!

Honey-Mustard Broiled Salmon

ingredients;
Wild-Caught Salmon Fillet
2 tablespoons Honey
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tablespoon whole Mustard Seed
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Directions; 
In a bowl, mix together everything except the salmon.
Place thawed salmon on baking tray, skin side down.  You may want to line the tray with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Use a spoon to place the honey mustard mixture on top of the salmon in a thick layer.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let some of the flavor soak in to the salmon.
Turn broiler on high to pre-heat.
Place the salmon under the broiler, 6 to 8 inches below heat source.  Broil for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness of the salmon.  Cook until it begins to flake easily with a fork, but be careful not to overcook or it will be too dry!
Enjoy!

Detoxify Your Life - Protein Challenge

For Day 2 of the 28 Day Challenge from 360YourLife.com, we are learning about Protein.  Protein is an essential part of your diet.  All Proteins that you eat are converted into amino acids that our cells need in order to function properly.

There are a few things everyone should know about protein.  First of all, most of us were raised with the "Protein Myth", to believe that the only source of real protein is through meat products.  While meat products DO provide protein, they are not the ONLY source of protein available!  Getting our protein from a variety of sources is very important, because we need to make sure we are getting as many different amino acids as we can.  There are 20 different kinds of amino acids, several of which our body cannot create on it's own and we need to get them through our foods.  These are called "essential amino acids".  The best way to make sure we are getting a variety of the 20 different kinds of amino acids is to get a variety of proteins in our diet.  When people let go of the myth that "meat is where I get my protein", they become open to other great sources of proteins and essential amino acids which will help their body function at it's very best!

Some non-meat high protein foods are;
Cheese (especially Mozzarella and cottage cheese)
Tofu, Soy, Soy Beans
Beans; Kidney beans, White beans, Lima Beans, fava beans, black beans etc
Eggs (especially egg whites)
Milk, Cheese, Yogurt
Nuts and Seeds (pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc)
Spirulina
Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds

I'm not saying you should or have to go vegetarian, just that it is beneficial for you to make sure you are getting your protein from a wide variety of sources!

The other thing everyone should be aware of with protein; is it safe?  Do you know where it came from?  In the case of meat... how was it raised, what was it fed, how was it processed?  When it comes to other protein sources that are plant based; were they grown naturally?  Organic?  Are they from genetically modified crops?  I know how it is, you're thinking "I would go crazy if I knew the truth about my food and where it came from.  I'd rather not know."  You're partly right, once you know the truth about this stuff, you can't forget it.  You can't un-know it.  But in this case, is Ignorance Bliss, or is Ignorance a death sentence?  Studies have linked the consumption of conventionally raised meats with cancer and heart disease, hormonal disorders, etc.  The long term effects of Genetically modified foods (GMOs) is still uncertain, but early testing of animals has shown a direct relationship between GMOs and cancer.  The sad truth is, the food industry isn't interested in the quality of what they produce, as much as they are in the quantity, and in the end... the profit.  So, even with your meats, there are healthy protiens in them... yes.  But what else are you getting along with those proteins?  I'm pretty sure a side effect of cancer or early heart disease is not what you wanted when you bought that steak.

What to do about it?  Here is what you need to look for;

Clean Protein Options

• Organic, grass fed beef
• Organic, free range chicken and turkey
• Wild-caught fish
• free-range, organic eggs
• non GMO Soy

There are several documentaries available now which explore these ideas and the truth about the food industry.  I would highly recommend you watch these;

Hungry For Change - http://www.hungryforchange.tv/
Food Inc. - http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/film
Food Matters - http://www.foodmatters.tv/
Frankensteer - http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/frankensteer_2005/
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead - http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/
Vegucated - http://www.getvegucated.com/

People tell me "I don't want to know."  Just stop.  You NEED to know.  The only way we can make a change is to first wake up and be aware, and then we can know what changes to make!  The more people start changing their eating habits (and their shopping habits), the industry will follow suit and change to provide the people with what they want!!

Today's Challenge was to substitute the protein in one of your favorite recipes with a "clean" protein from the list above.

This morning I had my daily protein shake.  I love using Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein Powder* to make shakes, because it is high in protein, has essential amino acids, plenty of vitamins, and it is made using non-GMO Soy!

Today's recipe;

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 1/2 cup Almond Milk

3 Tablespoons Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein

1 tablespoon Flax Seeds

1 tablespoon Chia Seeds

Put everything in the blender except for the Chia seeds.  Blend until smooth.  Add the Chia seeds when you pour the smoothie in a glass.  Stir & enjoy!

*If you are interested in purchasing the Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein, or curious about other Shaklee brand products, contact me!

I also went to the store and found some Organic, Grass Fed beef to use in our spaghetti!  

and a couple other things I found at the store, while I was in the process of locating clean and healthy proteins;

Detoxify Your Life, Day 1 - Grains

I have signed up at 360YourLife for a 28 Day Challenge to Detoxify your life!  I will share here what I learn, and my journey along the process!!  You can sign up for the next 28 Day Challenge HERE  (it starts in October) and try it yourself, or just follow along with what I share here!  I do suggest you sign up at 360YourLife because you will have access to some very informative blogs, newsletters, and videos!

For Week 1, we are learning about Nutrition, and how to get the most out of what we eat!  In today's blog and newsletter, Brooke told us about the differences between refined grains and Whole Wheat.  Most things on the shelves and in your cupboards are probably Refined grains.... the pasta, bread, cereal, pizza dough, etc. that is all made from refined grains rather than Whole Wheat.  In a refined grain, such as white bread and pasta, White Flour is the main ingredient.  White flour is simply the endosperm of the grain....leaving out the bran and the germ portions  and leaving behind just the center of the grain which is primarily starch.  This makes it low in nutrients and vitamins, lacking in fiber, and the starch transforms to sugar in our blood stream leading to sugar spikes.  White Flour has been linked to diabetes and Heart Disease, among other illnesses.  It is also addictive!  Because of the "sugar spike", we feel a temporary high (although our body has received very little nutrition) and then a "crash" later on where we feel tired and hungry again.  So, one of the simplest ways to eat healthier is to switch to grain products that are 100% Whole Grain.  This way you get the entirety of the grain, not just part of it!  You get the nutrition, vitamins, and fiber that help you balance and digest the starch of the endosperm.  Just as nature intended, it's better for you in it's complete form!! You want things that have the FIRST ingredient listed as Whole Wheat Flour.  To help you find these items, The Whole Grains Council has created This Stamp which you will see on foods that are made with Whole Wheat Flour instead of White Flour or refined, over-processed flour.  Also check out this website for more great information on the Health Benefits of Whole Grains!

I don't buy White Bread, but after this challenge I will be making sure to check the labels on all bread!  Some so called "Wheat" bread simply adds Wheat Germ to the refined White Flour in order to call it Wheat Bread, but this is not the same!  Look for Whole Wheat as the FIRST ingredient and check for the Whole Wheat stamp! As a bonus, the bread I found also has NO High Fructose Corn Syrup added!  Score!! Here are a couple things I found at my local grocery store (not a health food store, just the grocery store I normally shop at)

Uncle Ben's Whole Grains Medley - Brown & Wild Rice - $1.29

Orowheat 100% Whole Wheat Bread - $2.99

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest 100% Whole Grain Spaghetti - $1.99

After discussing Whole Grains, Brooke at 360YourLife talked about Gluten Free options.  Just switching to Whole Grains alone is helpful, but you are still possibly harming your body.... because let's face it... even too much of a good thing can be bad for you.  If you eat the recommended daily servings of Grain (6 to 9 servings a day) but you are only getting grain that comes from Whole Wheat, you will be denying your body the variety of nutrition it needs.  There are a number of health problems that have been linked to Gluten, which is found in Wheat products.  Some people may choose to go 100% Gluten Free and avoid gluten altogether, but if you simply substitute some of your Wheat grains with Gluten Free options, you are giving yourself a more balanced intake of grains.  Grains that are Gluten free are considered to be "sprouted grains", which are significantly higher in protein, vitamins, and enzymes.  They are much lower on the Glycemic Index (G.I.), which means they are digested more slowly, keeping you feeling fuller longer.  Also, since these grains are digested more slowly, there is a more gradual release of sugars into your bloodstream as the complex starches are converted into natural sugars; reducing the "sugar spike" you see from processed grains and wheat products.

Today's Challenge was this; Choose ONE of your favorite grain foods and swap it out for a Gluten-Free option.  I couldn't pick just one!  Here is what I was able to find at my local grocery store.  Again, I was surprised I didn't have to go to a specialty health-food store to find these things!  If you look close enough, they are available to you!  Also, the price difference wasn't that much, I felt satisfied with the amount of money that I spent on these products! 

This one isn't new to our household, it's a family favorite. 

I found these Delallo brand Gluten-Free pastas.  We eat a lot of pasta in our house, so it's worth it to try something new!  These were on sale for $2.89 each.

Private Selection Wild Rice - $1.59  Wild Rice is a perfect example of a Sprouted Grain that is not processed or refined.  You get all the good benefits of a gluten-free grain.

Village Harvest Quinoa - $5.19.  Quinoa is another good example of a gluten-free Whole Sprouted Grain.

Blue Diamond Nut-Thins Crackers - $2.57 each.  Wheat & Gluten free, these crackers are made from nuts and rice! 

Food Should Taste Good brand Multigrain Tortilla Chips - $2.59

My kids LOVE to snack on chips!  These ones are Gluten Free, made from Brown Rice, Flax, Sesame and Sunflower Seeds, and Quinoa.

So, in completing today's challenge, I think I have a good variety of snacks and side-dishes for the week that are either Whole Grain or Gluten Free!  Off to a good start!!  Remember if you're doing this challenge, the goal is to just pick ONE thing in your pantry and switch it out with a gluten free option.  You don't have to go all out like I did, just pick one thing and make a change! Good Luck!

Aromatherapy Bath Time for Headache or Migraine

Aromatherapy Bath Time!

One of the best things I have found to help with headaches and migraines is a nice soothing bath with aromatherapy!  I just wanted to share a couple of the products I use for a bath with aromatherapy to help soothe my headaches and migraines!

First of all, I light candles in the bathroom.  This way I can take a bath with the lights off, but am still able to see well enough that I don't slip and fall.  This is great if you have sensitivity to light during your headache or migraine.  But, you should be careful when using scented candles, as the perfumes used can sometimes make a migraine or headache worse.  Use non-scented candles, or a scented candle that you have used before without any side-effects.  You may want to try this aromatherapy candle, specifically designed with scents to help soothe a headache; http://www.scentsandscentsabilities.com/store/product114.html


I found this blended "bath tea" at a local shop and I just love it!  They have a few different aromatherapy scents available, and of course my favorite for headache or migraine is the one called "Headache" at the bottom of the list.  http://www.scentsandscentsabilities.com/store/page38.html

I also like to add in a few handfuls of Dr. Teal's Epsom Salt Soaking Solution in the Chamomile scent.  There is also a Lavender scent available but I find the chamomile scent to be the most helpful for headache pain.

You may wish to roll up a small towel to place under your neck for some neck support while you soak in your hot bath.  Breathe deeply and evenly to get the full benefits of the aromatherapy, and allow the hot water and Epsom salts to soothe away muscle pain and tension.

For migraines, this is not a cure, but it can help shorten the duration of your migraine or reduce the severity of the symptoms.  It can help you relax enough to get some sleep.

I hope this helps anyone who suffers from Migraines, tension headaches, or headaches in general!  You may also be interested in my previous blog post; Migraine Relief Kit

Tackle It Tuesday - Migraine Relief Kit

For this week's Tackle It Tuesday post, I wanted to share with you how I made my Migraine Relief Kit and what goes in it!  I have suffered from migraines since I was a teenager and I have learned a lot about what helps relieve them when I have them.  The trouble is, once I have a migraine, I can't think or function well enough to remember all my remedies!  So I was looking at a post about a first aid kit, and I thought, why not make a Migraine Relief Kit?  Something where I can have all my migraine relief remedies all in one place? Here's my kit;

What's in it?  Below are pictures and descriptions of everything in my box.

As you can see, I have a large bottle of electrolyte water.  Often times, migraines and headaches are a sign that you are dehydrated.  I have this in my kit just in case I am out of drinking water, and to serve as a reminder to drink plenty of water once my migraine begins!

This is my favorite lotion from Bath & Body Works.  Stress Relief Hand cream.  Aromatherapy can work wonders for migraines, and rubbing some of this on my hands, neck, and shoulders can really help.  Plus, it helps remind me that some simple self-massage and reflexology can help too.  There are pressure points on your hands, feet, and neck that can help with headaches and migraines.  If you suffer from headaches or migraines I strongly suggest you learn some of these reflexology pressure points.  And this lotion is wonderfully relaxing whether you have a headache or not!

I suffer from the migraines that not only make my eyes very sensitive to light, but there is usually pounding, excruciating pain behind one of or both of my eyes.  I went looking for a sleep mask, and I found this sleep mask at Walgreens.  It has removable gel inserts that you can put in the freezer and then back into the sleep mask.  Oh that nice cool feeling on top of my eyelids, while also shielding my eyes from any light in the room.... it's really a GREAT find for migraine and headache sufferers!  I can pop the inserts into the freezer for about 5 minutes and then be ready to go!

As I mentioned before, aromatherapy can really help.  I have this bottle of eucalyptus oil in my kit to remind me to use it in my oil warmer.  For headaches I would recommend either Eucalyptus or Lavender scented oils in a diffuser.  Experiment and see what works for you, but be careful because some scents can actually trigger migraines.  Also, make sure you use pure essential oil, not perfume oil.  The "perfume" oils contain chemicals that can make your migraines worse.

My heating pad.  I made this one myself, with a fuzzy sock!  I filled the sock with a mixture of dry uncooked white rice, some eucalyptus scented Epsom salts, and some dry crushed spearmint.  I sewed the end shut with needle and thread.  When I need it I heat it up in the microwave for about two minutes and then put it behind my neck.  The heat combines with the soothing scent is so relaxing!  Migraines and headaches often come with neck and shoulder tension, so this is a must-have for a migraine relief kit!

Of course, some obvious essentials... over the counter migraine relief medication!

I found this in a little shop of natural teas and remedies.  It's a loose tea blend of chamomile, white willow bark, and a couple other herbs that are known for pain relieving.  I haven't tried it out yet, but once I try it I will let you know how it works!

I also included a couple other tea bags of my favorite soothing teas.  I have a Stash Chai Green Tea, a Stash Chai White Tea, and Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra (with valerian).  A nice soothing cup of hot tea helps me relax and fall asleep.  Plus, I often get a sour stomach and nausea with my migraines, so hot tea helps with that symptom as well.

This is another aromatherapy remedy!  This is a "Bath Tea" of a blend of herbs and essential oils.  You put it in a bath tub full of hot water and it releases the scent into the bath water.  VERY relaxing and effective!

This is some allergy medicine.  Antihistamines can help relieve a migraine.  I put these in my kit because I know it works, but I almost always tend to forget about taking them once a migraine hits!

AND, last but not least, Emergency Chocolate!  Because sometimes a migraine or headache can be caused by, or aggravated by low blood sugar.  And besides that, chocolate just makes me feel better.  If you put some chocolate in your kit, make sure it is Milk Chocolate, NOT Dark Chocolate!  Dark Chocolate is a migraine trigger, and might actually make your headache worse!

If you suffer from migraines, educate yourself on as many remedies as you can, and try to figure out what your triggers are so you can avoid them.  Common triggers are stress, dehydration, hormones, perfumes, chemicals, and some foods.  The most common foods that can trigger a migraine are; Sharp Cheeses, Dark Chocolate, Citrus fruits, and Red Wine.  You may be triggered by one or more of these things, and there may be things that trigger your migraine that are not listed here.  The best defense is to prevent the migraine by avoiding your triggers, but they can't all be avoided all the time, so maybe you will want to put together your own Migraine or Headache Relief kit to have everything in one place when they do strike!

Product Review - AND ~ A Giveaway!

Have you ever used a product and been so impressed with it that you wanted to tell everyone you know about it?  You feel like a walking commercial when you do that!  But when a product really works, and leaves you feeling happy and satisfied, you want to share that with your friends and loved ones! 

 

This is how I have felt since I started using Shaklee's Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate.  I have been telling my mom, my friends, my online friends... just about everyone I know about how good it works!  They probably think I'm a little crazy... I mean, who gets excited about a household cleaner?

 

Well, first of all I ordered it because I am interested in using products that are less toxic and less dangerous around kids and pets.  Have you read the warning labels and ingredient labels on some of your store-bought cleaners?  I have, and they give me chills.  As a mother of three children and also the owner of a cat who is very much a part of our family... when I heard there was something out there that was safer and more natural, I was excited to make the switch!

 

The thing is, I just wasn't expecting it to actually CLEAN as well as it does!

 

First impression;
I read the directions.  "Mix 1/4 of a teaspoon with 16 oz of water in a spray bottle."  I looked at the spray bottle, measured out 1/4 of a teaspoon, and thought... "surely this isn't going to be enough!"  A fourth of a teaspoon seems so small!  I shrugged... if I needed to add more, I would add more.  I started cleaning.... and then I started to really get excited!  Dirt was coming off of surfaces in my home that I thought it would never come off of!  Things were coming clean with just a couple gentle wipes, that normally would have taken some extra scrubbing.  There is virtually no smell... in no time my kitchen was sparkling but there was no chemical smell in the air!  Get this; as I was cleaning my kids came in.  I said, "Watch this!" and sprayed some on the refrigerator and we watched it start to come clean right before our eyes.  My kids got excited and wanted to take turns using the spray bottle to clean off walls and counter tops!  I am not making this up, this stuff made my kids WANT to clean!  And as a bonus I wasn't worried about my son -who has asthma - while he was using the product... no coughing or wheezing occurred which sometimes happens when he is around the fumes of the harsh chemical products.

 

Since then I have been using the Basic H2 all over my house... to clean walls, counter tops, windows, floors... it really is possible to use on everything!  I have been looking at my house in a whole new way, instead of looking at some things as "terminally dirty", I now look at them and think; "I bet the Basic H2 can take care of that!"  And I haven't even used an 8th of my bottle yet!  Since it's so highly concentrated, a little bit goes a long way!  I have been able to throw away various bottles of toxic cleaners under my sink and now just have one product for cleaning around the house.  Good-bye Pine-Sol, Windex, and Mr. Clean!  Hello Shaklee!

 

Here's the exciting news!  I am so happy with this product, I want to share it with you!  I want others to have a chance to experience what I have!  You can't buy Shaklee products in the store... you have to buy them from a distributor.  Shaklee has some other great cleaning products... from laundry detergent to dishwasher detergent.  I would be happy to tell you more!  Shaklee also has nutritional supplements for adults and children, weigh loss products, and beauty products... all natural, all designed to be safe for you, safe for your home, safe for your family!  When you sign up for a Shaklee Membership, (less than $20) you get a discount on all their products, and you get an inside look at everything they have to offer.

 

I am going to give away one free bottle of Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate!  A $12.15 value... one bottle of concentrate makes 48 gallons of household cleaner!  Everyone who signs up the be a member or distributor in the month of February will have their name entered in a drawing!  At the end of February, I will draw one lucky winner to receive the free bottle of Basic H2!  And you will already be a winner when you sign up for membership because you will be giving yourself access to all of Shaklee's other great products!

 

If you are interested, or would just like more information, please e-mail me at mama_mcd@live.com with "Shaklee" in the subject line.  I will be happy to answer any of your questions, and tell you more about Shaklee products and opportunities!

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - Green Juice!

 

(Recipe; HERE)

 

 

Wordless Wednesday!

D.I.Y. Laundry Essentials!

Recently a friend shared with me this great blog post with some wonderful DIY, Home-made laundry essentials!  I have already been making my own laundry soap for about 2 years now, but I thought this post had some great tips and I wanted to pass it on!
Top 3 DIY Lavender Laundry Essentials!

So check it out!  Today I had a "Laundry Day"... I washed some laundry, made the Lavender Scented Dryer balls as mentioned in the other blog, also made the Lavender Scented Fabric Softener!  I was already using Vinegar as a fabric softener but I loved the idea of making it scented!  Then I washed some more laundry because I had to try out my new products!  I must say I Love the Fabric Softener and Dryer Balls!  Thanks so much, Camp Wander!!

I went ahead and made another batch of laundry soap, since I was almost out.  I make a liquid soap version vs. the powdered version mentioned at the other blog, but the ingredients are pretty much the same!  Here is what I do;

Supplies;
1/2 Cup Borax Powder
1/2 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 bar of Pink Zote Soap
* 4 scoops of Oxi-Clean (using the scoop provided in the container... looks like it is also about 1/2 cup)
A cheese grater
a 5 gallon bucket to mix everything in
a medium sized pot for the stove

Directions;
Grate the 1/2 bar of Zote soap with a cheese grater.  You don't have to use the Pink kind, the plain white bar works fine too.  You can also substitute Fels-Naptha soap.  These can both be found in the laundry section of most grocery stores.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients... the Borax, Washing Soda, and optionally the powdered Oxy-Clean (Oxygenated Bleach).  Set this aside.

On the stove, bring the medium saucepan filled with water to just below boiling.  Turn the temp down to medium, medium low to keep it warm.  Slowly add in the grated Zote soap while stirring, you want it to melt evenly and avoid clumps and I find it works best if you just sprinkle a little at a time into the hot water while stirring.

In the 5 gallon bucket, fill it half way with warm water and add the dry mixture of Borax, Washing Soda, and Oxy-Clean.  Mix until all the dry ingredients are dissolved.  Slowly pour in the melted pink Zote & water mixture from the pan you had on the stove.  Mix well.  Add more water until the bucket is full, mixing well. 

Cover the bucket with Plastic Wrap, set it aside somewhere safe and let it rest for 12 to 24 hours.  It will thicken and become more gel-like.  Mix again, and then you can add it to empty bottles to be used for laundry!  I used empty bottles from store-bought detergent I had bought before, because they have the lid for measuring and store easily.  Hard to believe that I have been using those same bottles for nearly 2 years, just refilling them with my own home-made soap!

For washing I use 1 cap full of detergent for small loads and 2 cap fulls of detergent for large loads.  I sometimes add more Oxy-Clean if the clothes are particularly stained, or for my work shirts which need to be very white!  Adding 1/2 cup of plain white vinegar to the water at the rinse cycle really helps soften the clothes and leaves them deodorized.  Check out that blog post above to learn how to make the scented version of this fabric softener!

After making my Dryer Balls, my Laundry Soap, and the Fabric Softener, I decided I needed to clean my laundry room, because these great products need a nice cozy place to live, right?  I swept, mopped, and wiped down all the surfaces in my laundry room (top of washer & dryer, and top of the water heater)  Now I have lots of lavender-scented clean laundry to fold and put away, but that doesn't sound too terrible!  I am gonna sit down in front of the TV and start folding!  Sounds like a great way to wind down from my busy day!

My 3-Day Detox!

Hello friends!  I know it's been awhile since I have blogged here, and I hope to remedy that!  I hope you are all doing well and that 2013 has been amazing for you so far!  It's been pretty fantastic for me so far!

I wanted to tell you about something I did this last week!  I did a 3 day detox to help remove toxins from my bodies.  I was thinking a lot about how the sugars, processed foods, etc have lots of added stuff we don't need, and how our bodies sometimes need help getting rid of those toxins!  The best way to get those toxins out of your body is to avoid the source of those toxins! 

For THREE Days I had; No Meat, No Dairy*, No Sugars, No Processed Foods, No Coffee!  I did this to give my body a chance to cleanse itself, sort of a Re-Boot of my system!  I recently started taking a new vitamin supplement; VitaLea from Shaklee.   I was also using Shaklee's Energizing Soy Protein Powder added into smoothies every day before work. Within 6 days of taking these I was already noticing a huge difference in the way I felt!  More sustained energy, better mood, less fatigue, less body aches, and the bronchitis I had been fighting off since Christmas finally went away!  This was great, but I figured if I felt this good now, how much better would I feel if I detoxed my body of all this other junk and really gave my body the ability to fully absorb some of these great nutrients I was giving it!  So I decided to do a 3 Day Detox and give my body the Re-Boot it really needed!

For Day 1, I started with Shank Prakshalana.  This is an ancient Yoga method for clearing out the bowels, intestines, and colon.  It's basically a salt-water cleanse in which you drink salted water and then do a series of yoga moves to open the intestines and get the water flowing through your system.  It's not very glamorous, and I won't go into too much detail here... but the point is you remove a lot of the "stuff" that gets stuck in all the twists and turns of the intestines and lines the inside of the colon.  There are many health benefits to doing Shank Prakshalana, and I highly suggest you research it and learn as much about it as you can before you give it a try!  Learn more HERE, and Here, and HeRe. :)

After the Shank Prakshalana I ate a bowl of cooked rice with butter.  It's necessary to eat something solid, yet easy on the system, and suggested to have something buttery to help lubricate the intestinal walls.  But you want to stick with something very plain... nothing spicy or overly flavored, and nothing too hard to digest. 

For awhile after eating my rice I just sipped some water with lime slices and mint leaves added in.  I made sure to drink plenty of water the rest of the day and through my whole 3 day detox. 

Later on that day, I made a smoothie.  I made it with Blueberries, Almond Milk, Plain Organic Yogurt, and My Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein Powder.  *(the plain organic yogurt is the only dairy, other than some butter in my rice, that I had for this whole 3-day detox.) With this I took my daily multivitamins, and then some more water.  I continued to sip on water all day. 

At dinner time I had another bowl of rice with butter, but I also added in some fresh baby spinach.  More water before bed!

Day 2, for breakfast I made myself a nice cup of hot green tea with some organic honey, and a bowl of plain oatmeal.  Usually I have coffee with lots of flavored creamer, and if I have oatmeal I usually add milk and sugar or use the pre-flavored sweetened kind.

A little before lunch time I made a juice with my juicer - I used 2 grapefruits, a large cucumber, and about 3 big handfuls of baby spinach.  It was delicious!

For Lunch I had another smoothie, the same as on Day 1.

For Dinner I had more rice with butter, and with cooked baby spinach and carrots added in.

All day long I drank LOTS of water!

For Day 3, I had my Green Tea, no honey added.  I didn't have any oatmeal or anything else to eat.  Surprisingly, I just wasn't feeling hungry yet. 
About an hour after I got up, I made another juice in my juicer; Grapefruit, Spinach, cucumber, and beet. YUM!

For lunch I made my smoothie again, but this time I added spinach to the blender!  2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves, lots of blueberries, plain organic yogurt, and Almond Milk, the soy protein powder.  I had never added spinach to my smoothie before... it was only something I had used in my juicer!  A friend had suggested it and I have to say... it was fabulous!  My smoothie didn't taste like spinach, I could only really taste the blueberries!  The texture wasn't awful either... in fact I think the spinach made it MORE creamy!

Later on I made a simple Apple-Carrot-Ginger juice in my juicer for a bit of a "snack"... didn't need much because I wasn't starving! 

For dinner I had tomato soup.  This was the only store-bought pre-packaged food I had eaten, but it was a Healthy Choice brand chunky tomato soup, so I didn't feel like I was "cheating".  Plus, I was all out of rice and spinach!  Of course all day I drank lots of water, and had more water with dinner and before bed.

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And that was it!  After that I on the 4th day I allowed myself to eat & drink whatever I wanted.  Honestly I wasn't craving too much... I wanted more fruits and vegetables!  My body wanted more of the good stuff I had been feeding it for 3 days!  I did have a coffee this morning, but with soy milk instead of cream.  I was happy to realize I was having this coffee because I WANTED it, not because I needed it to wake up.  I felt awake in the morning without having coffee first!  And, I realized... I made it through 3 days of no coffee without getting a headache or a migraine!  Could this mean I have kicked my caffeine addiction??
I'm also drinking more water.  Spending 3 days paying Really Close Attention to what I put in my body made me realize I haven't been drinking enough water and it also got me used to drinking water again.  Now if I don't have a water bottle right next to me, I feel lost! 
It wasn't all easy!  Day 1 was rough because Shank Prakshalana is not easy on the system and requires some rest afterwards... I got the rest but felt rather cranky and discouraged by the end of the day.  But I stuck with it and in the morning I felt a lot better!  Day 2 was pretty easy.  Day 3 was pretty easy too, although I started seeing things I wanted to eat in my pantry and really had to fight off the urge a few times.  Because I knew it wasn't something my body needed, just something I craved due to old eating habits!

So this has been a really long blog post, but I had to share that I am feeling GREAT!  I think I gave my body a great advantage by letting it go for 3 days without a lot of junk!  I spent a lot of time thinking about the food choices I make and am ready to continue to make better healthy choices.  And I know I will continue to feel better with the Shaklee supplements I am now taking.

If you want to know more about Shaklee, please fill out the form HERE or watch the links on that page under the form.  I am excited and more than happy to share with you these great products!