Virgin Coconut Oil Uses and Benefits

Virgin Coconut Oil has really come on to my radar lately so I checked out The Coconut Oil Tips Web Site to learn more ways to use this great natural product. 

Virgin Coconut Oil General Health Benefits

1. Antioxidant
2. Antiviral
3. Antibacterial
4. Antifungal
5. Boosts metabolism, burns quickly
6. Immune support
7. Improves mineral absorption (calcium and the ever-important magnesium)

 Coconut Oil Uses for Beauty

1. Cuticle oil — Softens and strengthens cuticles, and soothes/prevents hangnails.

2. Eye makeup remover — Use it to remove makeup, even waterproof mascara.

3. Wrinkle buster — Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

4. Defrizzer. Use to defrizz and smooth fly-aways. Works especially well on dark hair.

5. Deep conditioner – Coconut oil works extremely well as a conditioning treatment, especially as a pre-shampoo hair repair mask.

6. Natural deodorant — You can dab some under your arms plain, or mix it with baking soda.

7. Toothpaste — Use it as an ingredient, with baking soda, for homemade toothpaste. Good for gum health.

8. Sunscreen (SPF) — It doesn’t sound like it, but coconut oil has an SPF of 4-6. And if you use it while tanning, it prevents skin damage due to its antioxidant and moisturizing properties.

9. Body scrub — Mix with a little sugar or sea salt for a yummy, moisturizing body scrub.

10. Lip balm — Hydrating on dry or cracked lips. You can try mixing it with shea butter to make it richer.

11. Foot/Heel softener — Softens and smooths dry, cracked heels.

12. Facial cleanser — Massage in like any facial cleanser and rinse with a cloth. Some have reported that it works especially well if you rinse it off with tea tree oil. (Not sure about coconut oil for face?

13. Body butter –  Coconut oil is a great moisturizer by itself, but for even more pampering, whip it into a homemade body butter using a kitchen mixer.

14. Aftershave — Men can use this on their face, and for ladies it is amazingly soothing on legs and the bikini area.

15. Massage Oil — Just melt some down.

16. Elbows — Improves look of dry dark elbow patches.

17. Shaving “cream” – Just use it in the shower like you would with shave cream/gel, or apply it before shaving normally as a pre-shave preparation.

18. Hair growth

19. Bug repellant — Just mix with a few drops of peppermint oil and apply to skin.

20. Stretch mark oil — Use it on your pregnant belly to prevent stretch marks. It also works on stretch marks to reduce their appearance.

21. Bath oil — Add to your bath for a tropical and moisturizing pampering.

22. Fades age spots.

23. Mole removal — Use it after removing moles with the apple cider vinegar compress method.

24. Tattoos — Aids in healing a new tattoo, and regular use prevents the ink from fading.

25. Cellulite.

26. Hair dye help — Use on skin along hair dye to keep dye off during coloring process.

Coconut Oil Uses for Health

1. Keratosis Pilaris – Slather on a little bit of coconut oil after your shower while your skin is still damp, and over a couple of weeks it will drastically reduce the appearance of the little red bumps known as KP or “chicken skin”.

2. Herpes treatment – reduces viral loads in test subjects, use internally and externally.

3. Candida – reduces candida culture in the gut.

4. Dementia/Alzheimer’s – Because of its ketogenic diet benefits, coconut oil improves symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

5. Hypothyroidism – boosts metabolism, raises basal body temp.

6. Cold sores – can be applied topically to remove them.

7. Lice — Just slather some on the scalp under a shower cap for a few hours. A lot of people report success with this!

8. Detox.

9. Helps absorb vitamins and mineral supplements.

10. Scrapes and cuts ointment — Use coconut oil, which is antibacterial, topically to kill bacteria and heal the skin.

11. Athlete’s foot.

12. Nail fungus.

13. Pink eye.

14. Burn ointment — Like aloe vera, coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties and is soothing.

15. Canker sores.

16. Gum disease/gingivitis — aids in gum health when used as toothpaste or rubbed on gums.

17. Asthma.

18. Autism.

19. Epilepsy — Coconut oil has been known to reduce epileptic seizures.

20. ADHD.

21. Breastfeeding discomfort — Sooth chaffed nipples from breastfeeding with coconut oil.

Coconut Oil Uses for Cooking

1. Cooking oil – Virgin coconut oil has a high smoke point, so it is less likely to degrade during cooking than other oils, and is more suitable for healthy cooking.

2. Butter substitute — Great substitute for baking, or just plain on toast!

3. Popcorn – Coconut oil has traditionally been used for movie theater popcorn and it’s just as tasty but much healthier if you use the extra virgin, unrefined kind! Just put a big spoonful in a pot, let it melt slightly then add the kernels on top for popping. Amazing!

4. Smoothies — Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of coconut oil to fruit smoothies and green smoothies for a subtle tropical flavor. This is my favorite way to get my daily fix and boost my energy, since it revs metabolism and also is known to help you absorb vitamins and nutrients.

Household Uses for Coconut Oil

1. Conditions wooden cutting boards.

2. Wood polish.

3. Furniture polish (mix with lemon juice).

Coconut Oil Uses for Baby

1. Diaper rash cream.

2. Cradle cap.

3. Circumcision healing.

4. Breastfeeding salve.

Miscellaneous Coconut Oil Uses

1. Massage oil.

2. Personal lubricant.

3. Shoe polish.

4. Unsticks fabric in zippers.

5. Unsticks gum.

Conclusion

Virgin coconut oil is an awesome product that everyone ought to keep around the house! If you want to learn more about coconut oil uses and cures, you can browse the rest of the Coconut Oil Tips site. I also highly recommend you check out the book The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife.

There are several good brands of coconut oil — Just always make sure you choose well: It must be unrefined (also called “virgin”) coconut oil, ideally that has been cold-pressed and is stored in a nontoxic container.

How to Start Eating Clean

Garden in a Bale of Straw

Limited space? No soil? Toxic or rocky ground? Spare corner? Edge of drive way or yard? Here's bales of advice for you on the straw bale gardening.

Straw bale, or hay bale gardening is not to be confused with using loose straw in your garden for mulch or compost.  What we're talking about here is the whole bale, as it stands, tied with twine and used for planting plants on the top.

The bale is the garden. Put it on your balcony or path if you want to. Use one or umpteen bales of straw or hay as you need and in any pattern. Because the straw bale garden is raised, it's easy to work with, so make sure you allow for handy access.

Which straw to use for straw bale gardening? The best straw bales, for a garden are wheat, oats, rye or barley straw. These consist of stalks left from harvesting grain, they have been through a combine harvester and had the seeds threshed from them, leaving none or very few left.

Hay bales for gardening are less popular as they have the whole stalk and seed heads with many seeds.  They also often have other weeds and grass seeds to cause trouble. Use what you can get locally--it may even be lucerne, pea straw, vetch or alfalfa bales. Corn and linseed (flax) bales are not so good as they are very coarse, and linseed straw take a long time to decompose due to the oil residue left on the stalks.

It's simple to pull out the odd wayward grain seeds with straw bale gardening, but hay hales have a tendency to grow the likes of a small lawn! Thus you may need to occasionally give them a haircut rather than try to pull the tenacious new sprouts out. Hay bale gardening has one up on straw in that it is a nice warm and rich environment with enough nitrogen to continually supply growing plants. Straw is mostly carbon and so nitrogen must be added for plant growth (see information below).

Where to buy straw bales for garden? Most garden supply centers and nurseries sell straw bales. Farmers are you next bet if you live in the country. Also try animal breeding places and stables as they often buy straw bales in bulk for bedding and may sell you one.

How much do straw bales cost? Straw bales costs vary from country to country, but your cheapest option is usually going to a farm where you could be lucky at $1.00 per bale. Otherwise prices range from $2-$3 per bale. Still good value for an instant little garden!

Arranging your straw bale garden. Put each bale in the exact place, because it's hard to even nudge these monsters once you've got your little straw bale garden going.

Just like a normal vegetable garden your straw bale plants need sun, 4-8 hours if possible, depending on your choice of plants. Leafy greens and some herbs need slightly less sun than vines and tomatoes for example. 

A very popular idea for hay bales and straw bales is to make a raised garden bed with the bales as the edge. This limits excessive evaporation from both the garden in the middle and one side of the bale.

If you are starting a no-dig garden and don't have enough filling to begin with before your compost, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves, mulch or whatever you have, are not ready, then a cheap way for the first year is to buy bales and with a little bit of compost on the top, and a few other ingredients mentioned here, you can get your garden going the first year.

Deter those darn digging moles, gophers, rats or whatever thieves populate your area, by first laying down galvanized wire bird netting before laying your bales down. Lay the bales lengthwise to make planting easy by just parting the pads of straw.

There are two options on which side to lay straw bales:

1. Make sure the string is running around each bale and not on the side touching the ground in case its degradable twine such as sisal. The straw is now vertical, cut ends up. This means when you water , much of it will go straight through the bale and wash away.

2. Laying your bale or bales with the twine touching the ground (as long as it's plastic or wire twine of course), means that the straw stalks are horizontal and water will more likely soak in and not flow through the bale and be wasted.

This method of laying down your straw bale lends itself to using a soaker hose better than the vertical way.  If using a soaker hose, which are marvelous by the way, lay it under the twine to stay in place. The steady slow drips of water will find it hard to escape through channels, unlike the vertical method whereby the water channels downwards.

Starting your straw bale garden.  If you start with aged bales of about 6 months or more, they may already have been through their initial weathering and starting to decompose slightly inside.  If they have been wet at all they almost certainly would have lost their cool and done their cooking.

If not and they are still new or in pristine condition, they need to do a bit of stewing before it's safe to plant in them.  Thoroughly soak with water and add more water so they don't dry out at all for the next 5 days whilst the temperature rises and cooks them inside.  Slowly they will cool over the next 1-2 weeks and then be ready for planting.

You can plant when the bales are still warm( which promotes root growth). The bales won't be composting much inside yet, that takes months, but you don't want that initial hot cooking of your plants.

Some sneaky people speed up the process of producing microbes and rot by following a 10-day pre-treatment regime of water and ammonium nitrate on the top of each bale. But, hey, organic gardeners are a patient lot aren't we, so let's follow nature. Just so you know, the chemical ammonium nitrate (AN) acts as a catalyst. It is high in nitrogen and encourages and feeds microbes which rot the straw so plants can grow.

More natural ways that help speed up that all important burn out, are to spread on a high nitrogen organic fertilizer just before you start your watering process and watered in each day as detailed above. Remember though that this fertilizing along with the initial soaking will mean that the bales will continue to cook longer and you will have to wait before planting. It ultimately provides a better base and growing conditions and saves you having to be so worried about getting nutrients to your plants as they start growing.

Some materials that can be used are:

   * A 3cm (1') layer of fresh chicken manure - double that if aged chicken manure, or
   * Other suitable manures such as turkey or rabbit - 5mc (2") layer, or
   * A covering layer of 2/3 bone meal to 1/3 blood mean, or
   * A very thick layer of milder stuff such as spent coffee grounds.

Also to balance the growing medium, add potassium by sprinkling on a handful of sulphate or potash.

 

Watering a straw bale garden. Keep watered. That's going to be your biggest task -- twice a day if necessary. Straw bale gardening uses more water than a normal garden, so set up a system now. It may be that hauling out the teapot on each day is enough in your area, or you may need to keep the hose handy. A soaker hose system set in place is perfect.

Anything you can put on the exposed sides of your straw bales will help conserve water and stop them drying out in the sun. Low bushes or herbs, planks or bricks and so on will work. If you have some plastic and don't mind the unnatural look in your garden, then put that around the sides. Keep the twine there to hold it all in place for a long as possible.

What plants to plant? Annuals of vegetables, herbs or flowers will love your straw bale. Remember your bales will be history in 1-2 years. Young plants can go straight in. Pull apart or use a trowel and depending on the state of the straw, put a handful of compost soil in too, then let the straw go back into place.

Seeds can be planted on top if you put a good 5cm (2") layer of compost soil there first. Top heavies like corn and okra are not so good unless you grow dwarf varieties. With straw bale gardening it's hard to put solid stakes in so big tomato plants are out, although they will happily dangle over the edge.

Each bale should hold:

   * Up to half a dozen cucumbers, trailing down, or
   * Squash, zucchini, melons -- maybe 3 plants, or
   * A couple of tomato plants per bale with one or two herbs and leafy veggies in between, or
   * Four pepper plants will fit, or
   * 12-15 bean or pea plants, or
   * A mix of the above or any other plants you like.

Since there's no limit and why not poke in around the side some flower annuals for color and companionship if you like.

Once a week or more often when your plants are in full growth water in a liquid organic feed, such as compost tea or fish emulsion. Add some worms on top if you want to use your bales only one season. If you are using hay bales instead of straw bales, the liquid feed can be spaced much further apart because hay bales have more nutrient dense environment.

You'll get one good season out of a hay bale garden, and usually two with a straw bale, albeit with a bit of sag. It make s for great compost or mulch when finished with.


- See more at: http://www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/straw-bale-gardening.html#sthash.PkoZhaop.dpuf



 

A Clean Home is a Healthy Home - Spring Cleaning Idea

It is that time again ... SPRING CLEANING ... I have been doing well keeping my personal system (my body) cleansed and healthy ... now its time to deep clean the house.  A friend sent this chart to me from The Fresh and Organized Web Site. If you go to the site, you can actually download and print out this chart.  I like it because you only have to do one thing a day and by the end of the month you have deep cleaned your whole house!

The 31 Day House Cleaning Routine

Feb 27, 2013

Cleaning can be such a chore! Excuse the pun, but it's true that keeping a clean house can be an overwhelming experience -- especially when you're used to living in a smaller place like an apartment.

My husband and I usually try to deep clean our house once a week, but after reading (and pinning) this article on Apartment Therapy called, 'How to Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day for 30 Days,' I was inspired to try this method. Basically how it works is that instead of doing everything in one day, you follow a schedule where in addition to your typical household chores like doing the dishes, you do a 20-minute (the use of a timer is encouraged) cleaning task per day. The schedule has a list of rotating cleaning tasks to do and by the end of 30 days, you start over on day 1 and by doing this, your house should be nice and clean.

Since I enjoy making printables, I decided to come up with my own version of the schedule and here's what it ended up looking like:

Click Here to Download This Free Printable!

• Instead of the 30 day schedule, I named it the, "31 Day House Cleaning Routine," so the list can be used for months that have up to 31 days.

• On the left of the page are the 31 days and next to that I can write the first letter of the corresponding day of the week. For example, since March 1st is on a Friday, I would just write in the letter F, right next to the number 1.

• For the cleaning tasks themselves, I pretty much followed what was on the schedule in the Apartment Therapy article, with just a few minor tweaks.

• Since my husband and I share some of the cleaning tasks, I added a 'Who' column so we could write the name of the person who would be doing each particular task.

• Finally, on the far right of the page are checkboxes for checking off all the tasks that have been completed.

How to Trellis Tomatoes

I can never get those tomato cages to work for me. I tried the Topsy-Turvy one year and dumped the tomatoes all over the ground ... maybe I will try this method for staking up my tomatoes this year.

Trellis like a Pro

by Sandy Swegel
 

 

My tomatoes are only a few inches tall and still indoors, but this is the ideal time to start thinking about how to trellis them. For years I fiddled with the dinky round tomato cages sold everywhere that just fall over when faced with a large indeterminate tomato. One year I even tried tying two cages on top of one another and it still fell over.

Market Farmers don't use wussy home-gardening-type trellises. They bring out the T-Posts and plastic baling twine orstring. (This is one time you can't use natural twines like jute or cotton...they are too stretchy.) The most common technique is called the Florida Weave.

Basically, you place tall (7 foot min) T-posts at each end of your tomato row. Every two or three plants, add a stake (or another T post). You will then “weave” the twine around the T-posts and tomatoes in a basic figure-eight shape. T-posts are super sturdy and stay put once you pound them into the ground. Ideally, you can string the T-posts before the tomatoes are tall or perhaps even planted. As the tomatoes grow you can tuck the growing edge into one of the rows of string. The beauty of the Florida Weave is that even if you are late getting your trellising in place, you can still do a pretty good job pulling up the overgrown tomatoes.


Photo Credits and More Info:
http://www.specialtycrops.colostate.edu/techniques/trellis.htm#tomatoes
http://www.foogod.com/~torquill/barefoot/weave.html
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/cat-s-cradle-tomatoes
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/supporting-cast-for-tomatoes.aspx

Meals in Jars plus Recipes

I saw this article on the Frugally Sustainable FB page. Even though she is concerned about food prices and shortages, I think these ideas would be terrific for camping trips and quicky dinners, too!

Meals in Jars

September 27, 2011 By Andrea

 

When I see news headlines like these…

U.S. Drought Driving Up Already Rising Food Prices While Economy Collapses! Get Prepared!
Drought means beef prices could rise
Multi-Billion Dollar Drought to Drive Beef Prices Up

…my first reaction is to freak out! It’s natural to experience feelings of fear and/or anxiety when reading news stories like this, right? But why, why would I waste one second of my life worrying about something I have no control over? You know what eases my fear: knowledge, preparedness, and a community of people that I trust.

About six months ago we began storing food. Buckets and buckets of organic beans, rice, quinoa, millet, oatmeal, popcorn, etc. now fill the once empty spaces of our closets. Given the access to water, we would be able to feed our immediate family and my parents (maybe even help out the neighbors) for about half a year. However, my thoughts lately are turning toward the possibility of using this food in the event prices of commodities were to increase, even more than they already have.

I’ve also been trying to organize what we do have and make it more practical for use. Today I began working on “meals in jars.” By combining beans, grains, dehydrated veggies/fruit from the garden, and seasonings I am attempting to ensure that we will have a supply of tasty and nutritious meals in the case of an emergency. Not to mention, it’s been a fun activity for the kids and I. It’s like canning beans and grains, but instead of using the pressure cooker all we do is place an oxygen absorber in the jar (smile).

There are thousands of different recipes you could follow when creating your meals in jars. Just remember to combine items that take approximately the same amount of time to cook. For example, do not intermix pasta with navy beans. The pasta will cook much quicker than the beans.
For an abundance of recipes to use as a foundation for your meals in jars look on this forum. Below I have also provided you with a few of the recipes we put together today.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (1 pint jar)
-1 cup oatmeal
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 cup sliced almonds
-1/4 cup dehydrated apples
*2 cups water necessary to reconsitute

Vegetable Millet (1 pint jar)
-1 cup millet
-1/4 cup dehydrated mixed veggies
-1/4 cup dried parsley
-1 tsp dehydrated minced garlic
-1 tsp salt
*3 cups of water necessary to reconsitute

Quinoa and Lentil Soup (1 quart jar)
-1 ½ cup quinoa
-1 ½ cup red lentils
-1/2 cup dehydrated veggies
-1/4 cup dehydrated onion
-1 tsp minced garlic
-1 tsp salt
-2 bay leaves
*5 cups of water necessary to reconsitute

Lemon Dill Rice (1 pint jar)
-1 cup rice
-1/2 tsp dried dill
-1 ½ tsp dehydrated lemon peel
-1/2 tsp salt
*2 cups of water necessary to reconsitute

For each recipe, layer ingredients in order as listed. Use the size jar as indicated. Place an oxygen absorber on top and then close lid. Store jars in a safe place. Keep off shelves.

Storage Tips

-The best way to store beans, grains, and dehydrated veggies/fruit is in a sealed mylar bag along with oxygen absorbers. The individual meals could then be stored in a 5-gallon bucket. Lightweight, takes up less space, it’s just a much better option. So, I’ll continue saving for the supplies required for this system of storage.

I recommend purchasing mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, and heat sealers from the fine folks over at Preparing Wisely and SorbentSystems.com who sell Made-in-America products.

Raised Bed Gardens - Tips & Tricks

Here is a great article by Doreen G. Howard. Tom made our raised beds from boards we had left over from construction, so we saved on the cost of the boards, but building these raised bed gardens would be worth any price because we have so much clay in our soil that we could be making pots! By putting "good" soil on top of the clay gives our plants a fighting chance for survival.

 

Growing your own produce can save you some money too.  I calculated that just by growing our own lettuce we are saving over $300/year.

 

Doreen's article:

Every time I open a plant catalog or see a television commercial for sale priced $99 raised bed gardening kits, I cringe! I've never spent more than $8 to build a four-by-four-foot bed or $35 to build a 20-foot-long one.

My husband builds mine. He buys two 1 by 8-inch cedar boards, which don't rot with age. They come in 8-foot lengths, which is perfect for 4 by 4-foot beds. Cut each plank in half, so that it is 4-feet long. Or have the store make the cuts. Many places will do it for free.
Husband also buys a 3-foot length of a 1 by 1-inch pine stake; he cuts it into four pieces and uses them to nail the cedar boards to at corners for bracing. That's all! Each box costs less than $10 to make.


Grouping together several raised beds makes a substantial vegetable garden that is easy to maintain, with no weeding and crops that mature fast

I place the boxes on cleared ground. Turf should be cut and rolled up, or vegetation killer can be used. Strong white vinegar applied to grass in sunlight will kill the turf in hours. After I situate the boxes (four or five grouped together makes a good sized garden), I put down three layers of newspaper to suppress errant weed or grass seeds that might sprout. Paper degrades fully within weeks and feeds the soil.

Another fast, cheap method of building raised beds is to use concrete construction blocks. They have a big bonus. Their holes can be filled with soil mix and planted with herbs or strawberries.
The extra gathered heat from concrete is perfect for Mediterranean-type herbs such as rosemary and lavender. Strawberry plants grow huge and fruit fast in the holes. Each block is 16 inches long by 8 inches high and costs about $1.30 each at big box stores. Beds of 13 feet or longer by 4 feet wide are cheaper to build using blocks than with cedar boards.


Cement construction blocks average about $1.30 apiece across the country.

You will be planting seeds and transplants close, because the beds are smaller and the soil is richer. But, plants grown close together in raised beds mature faster, because they compete for nutrients and sunlight. Each plant senses the distance of others and adjusts its metabolism to compete. Several university studies have proven this competition syndrome by identifying how plants perceive others nearby using the green light spectrum.


This 4-by-4-foot bed is crowded with productive peppers, cucumbers, a tomato plant and insect-repelling flowers that are edible.

Raised Bed Soil MixThe more organic matter there is in soil, the better. Soil microbes are fed, oxygen and water
readily reach roots and plants thrive. Here’s the recipe I’ve developed in the last decade that
works best for my garden.

For one 4-by-4-foot raised bed. (Multiply amounts to fill larger beds.)
2 bags (2-cubic-feet each) top soil
1 pail (3-cubic-feet) peat moss
1 bag (2 to 3-cubic feet) compost or composted cow manure
2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clipping.

If you use grass, make sure the clippings are not from a lawn that has been sprayed with herbicides or been fertilized with a food that contains granular herbicides to kill weeds. Both persist and will kill plants beds up to three years after the initial application.

Mix all materials with a hoe or cultivator and water well. Be sure to mulch well with organic Matter such as more leaves or clippings or straw.

An Easy Way to Tell if Your Soil is Acidic or Alkeline

Here is an easy (and almost free) way to test your soil from The Homsteading FB Page.

 Perform your soil test by placing a sample of your soil into two separate cups or containers.

 Add vinegar to one. If it fizzes your soil is alkaline.

If not, add some water to the second cup and stir. Add baking soda. If it fizzes you have acidic soil.

If neither have a reaction your soil is somewhat pH balanced.

Growing Potatoes plus Recipe

We are getting ready to plant our potatoes next weekend. I found this great chart on FB for other novice farmers (like us).  I am also including a low fat potato recipe from Eating Well Magazine.

(P.S. The typo on the chart is theirs not mine -- they must have gone to school with Dan Quayle)

 

ROASTED POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS

Image from Eating Well Magazine

http:://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/new_potatoes_green_beans.html
From EatingWell: March/April 2011

Whoever said potato salad needs to be cold? For this warm version, new potatoes are roasted right alongside green beans, then tossed in a tangy champagne vinegar and Gorgonzola dressing. If you like, you can toss in some baby arugula.

           
6 servings, about 3/4 cup each | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds new or baby potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 8 ounces green beans, trimmed
• 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens

Preparation

1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F.
2. Toss potatoes and green beans in a large bowl with 2 teaspoons oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and golden and the green beans are tender and browned in spots, 25 to 35 minutes.
3. Whisk the remaining 3 teaspoons oil, vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Stir in cheese and scallion greens.
4. When the vegetables are done, toss with the dressing in the bowl. Serve warm.

Nutrition

Per serving :151 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 3 mg Cholesterol; 23 g Carbohydrates; 4 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 295 mg Sodium; 567 mg Potassium
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat

Planting Herbs -- A Few Tips

I am in the process of starting my herbs in my green house. Soon I will be able to move them to the planter on the deck. I love keeping my herbs and greens close to the kitchen because it is easier to get fresh cuttings for dinner every night.

Today we were at Jerry's Home Improvement. They had a really great "herb wheel" for planting herbs in the garden. I think it was about $10. I've seen lots of pictures of old fashion herb gardens, and they were planting in old wagon wheels which kept the herbs separated from one another. I was tempted to buy one of the "wheels" (or nostalgia sake), but I know I will get better use of the plants if they are up on the deck. Maybe some day I will plant a "tea" or "medicinal" herb garden ... then I could justify getting an herb wheel for the garden.

I have fairly big planter boxes for each herb, so to conserve the amount of soil I have to use, I place a small layer of rock at the bottom of the pot, and then I fill the pot with packing peanuts (we used to call them "ghost turds!") to just over the half-way mark in the planter. Next, I place a layer of landscape fabric over the peanuts (to keep the planting mix from falling through) and finally I put in enough potting soil to finish filling the pot, leaving about an 1" margin at the top. Now the pot is ready for the plants. Using the packing peanuts also helps keep the weight of each planter down, so moving the plant is much easier.

Another little tip I just picked up from a friend is to cut herbs (and flowers) with a knife instead of scissors. The reason is because scissors crush the end of the stem, therefore the cuttings can not absorb as much water. So cutting them with a knife will keep your flowers and herbs fresher longer.

My Strawberry (Gutter) Fields Forever

Here is a picture I found of a strawberry garden that has actually been planted in GUTTERS!  (No ... not the ones attached to the house!!)

We found some great vinyl gutters at Home Depot this weekend. Check out that price -- only $5.23 for a 10 foot length of gutter. The gutters come in brown or white. We opted for the brown ones.  I really like this gutter because the edges are rounded and finished off so no cut fingers! (Which is always an advantage as far as I am concerned!) Also, the "pocket" is deep enough to accommodate the potting soil.

Our strawberries are all ready to go ... so guess what we are going to be doing NEXT weekend!!

How Low Glycemic Carbs Help Your Body

Low vs High Glycemic Index



Diagram from The Nutrition Geek Website



Eating low glycemic carbohydrates can do wonders for your health. Keeping blood sugar stable will help lose weight, have stable energy, avoid diabetes and improve longevity.

There are a couple tricks that can help lower the glycemic load of a meal. Combining protein and fat with carbohydrates will help. Also high fiber foods will slow down the digestion and will blunt the blood sugar spike.

Mock Soy Sauce - Recipe



Image from Taste of Home Magazine


Soy and corn crops are between 85% to 95% genetically modified (GMO).  The dangers of eating this modifed foods are becoming more apparent as scientist are putting the crops under closer scrutiny. 

As I am cleaning up my diet, I am eating organic or home grown produce (and meat) as much as possible.  I have made many substitutions to my diet to try to eliminate as many environmental pollutants as possible, but one of my staple cooking ingredients, soy sauce, was hard to replace until now.   

The test kitchens for Taste of Home Magazine  developed this alternative to store-bought soy sauce. Its color and flavor will make you think it’s the real thing. But it's lower in sodium than both regular soy sauce and the low-sodium variety.

32 Servings Prep/Total Time: 5 min.

Ingredients
•             3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
•             1-1/2 cups boiling water
•             1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
•             2 tablespoons sesame oil
•             1 tablespoon dark molasses
•             Dash pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour into a jar with a tight-fitting lid.

Store in the refrigerator. Shake well before using. Yield: about 2 cups.

Nutrition Facts: 1 tablespoon equals 11 calories, 1 g fat (trace saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 222 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, trace protein.

Making Your Own Home-Made Coconut Oil Deodorant

It is no "secret" (get it???) that I love Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for a great moisturizing body cream ... well add to my list ... Home-Made Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Deodorant!!  Here are the recipes!!

Recipe 1- What You Need:

3 T Coconut Oil
3 T Baking Soda
2 T Shea Butter
2 T Arrowroot (optional)
Essential Oils (optional)

What to do:

Melt shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat until barely melted. UPDATE: Combine in a quart size glass mason jar with a lid instead and place this in a small saucepan of water until melted. This will save your bowl and you can just designate this jar for these type of projects and not even need to wash it out…

Remove from heat and add baking soda and arrowroot (If you don’t have arrowroot, use more baking soda)

Mix well

Add essential oils and pour into a glass container for storage. It does not need to be stored in the fridge.

If you prefer, you can let it cool completely and put into an old deodorant stick for easier use, though it may melt in the summer!

If you don’t have all those ingredients around, or don’t want to wash a double boiler, this recipe is faster and easier:

Recipe 2- What you Need

6 T coconut oil
1/4 cup (4 T) baking soda
1/4 cup (4 T) arrowroot or cornstarch
essential oils (optional)

What to Do:

Mix baking soda and arrowroot together in a medium sized bowl.

Mash in coconut oil with a fork until well mixed.

Add oils if desired.

Store in small glass jar or old deodorant container for easy use.

Why Use Natural Deodorant?

I started this pursuit to avoid the alzheimers and breast cancer, but I’m a lifelong convert because it works! No, really! I was the girl who rejoiced when Secret Clinical Strength came out before prom one year. I’ve had to use regular deo a few times since I started the natural, and it doesn’t work as well. Although not an antiperspirant,  it does seem to absorb a lot of wetness.

After a few weeks of using natural, I noticed an unexpected side effect… I wasn’t sweating as much to begin with. Months later, and I notice this even more!

I urge you to try making your own deodorant. Even if you aren’t daunted by the ingredients in your own deo, wouldn’t you feel better knowing you weren’t putting anything on your skin that you couldn’t eat (not that

Benefits of Body Brushing

Image from terawarner.com

Your skin is your largest single organ within your body, and the one responsible for removing about a quarter of the toxins from your body daily. Because of this, it is the most important of all of your waste elimination organs!

The History of Dry Brushing:

In her article entitled “The Key Benefits of Dry Brushing and How to Do It,” Vanessa O’Neill explains that dry brushing is an ancient technique and aids the skin in the process of releasing and removing toxins from your body. Many cultures have historically practiced dry brushing. For example, the Japanese have traditionally used the dry brush techniques (or loofah) to vigorously brush their skin prior to taking a hot bath.  In our own country, Comanche Indians traditionally used river sand to scrub their skin, and Cherokee Indians used dry corn cobs in order to enhance the strength and beauty of the skin.

Benefits of Dry Brushing:

There are many benefits of dry skin brushing. Dry skin brushing works to exfoliate dead skin cells, aids in stimulating circulation, assists the lymphatic system in removing toxins from the body, and promotes healthy, glowing skin. It is probably one of the simplest and most cost effective ways of promoting overall health and beauty available.

1. Dry brushing cleans the lymphatic system. The lymph system is an important part of our immune system because detoxification starts here.  This system is made up of white blood cells (called lymphocytes) and interstitial fluid. The combination of the blood cells and interstitial fluid bathes our cells, removes cell waste and delivers nutrients to the cells.

2. Dry brushing strengthens the immune system. Dry skin brushing may reduce the duration of infections and accelerate the clearing of toxins. One example of the benefit is that the brushing helps support the immune system during cancer and other chronic illness treatments. By stimulating the lymph vessels to drain toxic mucoid matter into organs of detoxification we can purify the entire system. After several days of dry brushing, sometimes you may notice a gelatinous mucoid material in your stools. This is a normal sign that the intestinal tract is renewing itself.

3. Dry brushing stimulates the hormone and oil glands, which helps all of our body systems perform at peak efficiency. The skin is your body's largest organ. If your skin is not properly taken care of the process of eliminating toxins from your system fall on your kidneys.  Daily brushing before you bathe or shower will keep your skin clean and rejuvenated.  This daily routine allows blood to flow to the skin surface making it easier for the toxins to escape.

4. Dry Brushing tightens the skin by increasing the flow of blood.  Believe it or not, dry skin is a sign of detoxification. With daily brushing, you are removing dead skin cells and revitalizing the skin and improving the skin texture and cell renewal. This process moves toxins and lessens the appearance of cellulite. Our bodies make a new top layer of skin every 24 hours. Skin brushing removes the old top layer, allowing the clean new layer to come to the surface, resulting in softer, smoother skin.

5. Dry Brushing tones the muscles. Hate doing free weights but still want to tone those muscles? Dry skin brushing helps to tone muscles by stimulating the nerve endings which causes the individual muscle fibers to activate and move. Brushing also helps mobilize fat and helps to even out the distribution of fat deposits.

6. Dry brushing stimulates circulation. I mentioned that brushing helps stimulate blood circulation earlier in this post, but did you know that your skin actually breathes? For most people, their pores are so clogged with dead skin cells and un-removed waste (which was excreted through perspiration), the toxins are unable to eliminate your body’s metabolic wastes.   The increased blood flow to your skin will increase electromagnetic energy and you will feel more energized and invigorated.

7. Helps digestion. Dry skin brushing helps your skin to absorb nutrients by eliminating clogged pores. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health. When you brush, the pores of your skin open allowing your skin to absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins. Healthy, breathing skin contributes to overall body health.

How to Choose the Right Brush:

When choosing a body brush for dry skin brushing, you will want to choose a natural bristle brush because synthetic bristles can actually produce toxins themselves. Body brushes generally come in two different styles – ones that fit in the palm of your hands and ones with a handle on them. Sometimes you can find a palm brush that includes a handle to extend it. Body brushes with handles work well on the back of your body, but may be a little difficult to use in close in areas such as your feet. Choose the stiffest bristles you can stand. The stiffer the bristles are on your body brush, the better as you will be able to generate more lymphatic system stimulation. If your skin is really delicate currently, you may have to work your way up to a stiffer brush over time. Cactus body brushes are excellent for this technique and aids in stimulating circulation, assists the lymphatic system in removing toxins from the body, and promotes healthy, glowing skin. It is probably one of the simplest and most cost effective ways of promoting overall health available.

Dry Skin Brushing Technique:

Image from veggienook.com

1. Always use brush strokes inward and upward toward your heart. Brushing towards the heart facilitates detoxification, while brushing away from the heart can adversely affect circulation in the blood vessels and lymph system.

2. Start with the bottom of your feet first.  Acupuncturists tell us that the nerves in the soles of our feet are connected to every other area of your body. Include clockwise and counterclockwise strokes on the bottoms of your feet.

3. Move up from the feet to the legs, brushing up your torso. Start at the fingertips and move inwards towards your heart. When brushing the sensitive areas like your breast and neck, begin with gentle strokes and work up to stronger strokes as you become more accustomed to dry brushing. Use several clockwise strokes on the stomach, both sides of the chest, and your arm pits. Then repeat these areas with counterclockwise motions. You can also brush in a circular motion on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Concentrate on areas which suffer from dryness or cellulite, but avoid areas of broken skin or rashes.

Tips:

■Its best to sit or stand on a towel or in your tub to collect any dead skin from exfoliation.

■Do not wet yourself or the brush – this will stretch your skin and you will not get the same benefit.

■Wash your body brush after use to every few weeks and allow it to dry completely before using again.

■It is generally recommended to use dry brushing once or twice a day.

You can experiment to find a method of brushing that is comfortable to you

So now you know the facts. Keep up your dry brushing and you will assist your body in its detoxifying process, increase your circulation, and increase the natural beauty of your skin.  Skin brushing is also notorious for increasing your energy level because of these effects.

Why You Should Take an Epsom Salt Bath

I was reading some cleansing tips and one of the suggestions was to take Epsom salt baths.  I had heard that Epsom salts were great for soaks when you sprain and ankle, but I began to wonder how they helped in the detoxing process.

According to the Epsom Salt Council, Epsom salts contain sulfates and the sulfates help to flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells.  .

Our skin is a very porous membrane.  If you add the right minerals to your bathwater, they trigger a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it.

But how does it work?  Imagine your body as a party with lots of people -- both those who were invited and those who weren't. When the party's over, usually at least some of those uninvited partygoers are still sticking around. It's late, and you're trying to figure out how to politely send them on their way. When you take an Epsom salt bath, those "uninvited" pollutants are told to leave your body. That message is delivered by none other than magnesium sulfate.

A little more about Magnesium Sulfate:  Magnesium helps keep your bodily functions running smoothly, including some of the pathways that lead toxins right out of your body. Sulfate helps to strengthen the walls of your digestive tract so that it's easier to release toxins. As a compound, magnesium sulfate also raises the amount of digestive enzymes in the pancreas.

Epsom Salt Baths: If you're ready for an Epsom salt bath, consider your tub size and water depth before you begin pouring in the salt. More salt isn't necessarily better. The Epsom Salt Council suggests that a common formula is to add a cup or two (about 0.25 or 0.5 liters) of Epsom salt to warm water in a standard-size bathtub. If your bathtub is bigger or smaller than most, you may want to adjust the amount of Epsom salt you add.

The water you use in an Epsom salt bath -- and any bath, for that matter -- should be warm, not hot. Warm or tepid water is best for your skin because it doesn't strip away as much protective oil, and it helps to dissolve the Epsom salt. Before you climb into the bath, make sure that all of the salt has dissolved so that it can be more easily absorbed into your skin. Any salt that hasn't dissolved in the water may dry on your skin as an opaque white powder. If you see this residue on your skin after the bath, don't worry; excess salt should be harmless and is easily rinsed off.

The Epsom Salt Council recommends soaking in an Epsom salt bath for about 15 minutes up to three times per week.

Cautions and Contraindications: Despite the benefits, Epsom salt baths generally aren't recommended for people who have conditions such as heart problems, high blood pressure or diabetes. If you aren't sure whether an Epsom salt bath is safe for you, consult your doctor first.

 Epsom salt has been a cure-all for generations: It has been used to soothe aches and pains, and more recently for softening skin, preventing wrinkles and detoxifying your body.  As an example, soothing baths, Epsom salt baths can be incorporated into your beauty routine as a way to exfoliate, as an at-home facial when mixed with a cleansing cream and as bath crystals when mixed with a fragrance.

Now … take some pamper time for yourself, draw a warm bath, swirl in some Epson salts, light some candles …. And relax!!

Better Red Than Dead - Or how to soothe a sunburn!!

I have been very lucky so far this summer … I haven’t had a sunburn yet … of course I live in Oregon, and the sun hasn’t really found us this year.

Though I have been lucky so far, I know that once the sun does come out, I will turn a shade of red that even roses would be envious of!!!  I wouldn’t mind if that lush red turned into a golden tan … but no such luck!!

Just in case you find yourself half-baked and in pain this summer … here are some sunburn remedies you might like to try.

Aloe Vera Gel is generally recommended.  Not only does it heal the skin, I find it also takes the heat out of the burn.  You can find Aloe Vera Gel in nearly any store, but why not try it directly from the source: the Aloe Vera plant.  Just slice the leaf open, and smear the gooey stuff that is inside the leaf on your skin.  Don’t wipe it off.  You will feel the cooling healing starting almost immediately.

Another time tested remedy for sunburn is bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).  Just put four or five tablespoons of baking soda in a small bowl of cool water.  Soak cotton balls or a clean cloth in the bowl and lightly dab it onto your burned skin

This next method is not one I have tried myself, but a friend swears that mixing a cup of skim milk with four cups of cold water, and then taking a clean cloth soaked in the mixture and pressing it against your skin will bring relief.  You need to repeat the process for a half hour on the hour for four hours (or until the pain is relieved).

 
My husband is a nut for natural Vitamin E gel.  We were skin diving in the Caribbean once and he got the worst sunburn I have ever seen on the back of his legs.  We didn’t have anything for a sunburn and so he poked little holes in his vitamin E gel capsules and smeared the gel over the burned areas on the back of his legs.  I was impressed.  He didn’t blister or peel. If you try this, make sure you use natural vitamin E, not a synthetic version.

My grandma told me one time that if you have a bad sunburn, you should fill an old sock with uncooked oatmeal and then swish the sock in warm bath water until the water turns milky, then jump into the tub and soak.  You may find it as relaxing as it is refreshing.

 

If you like soaking in a bath tub, you might try putting 6 or 7 green tea teabags into warm bath water.  Let the water cool a little, then get in and soak.  The green tea will relieve the sunburn and boost healing.  You can also put the wet teabags on the most sunburned areas on your skin

The last idea was my mom’s favorite sunburn remedy. Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized and unfiltered).  Any time my brother or I would come in the house with a rosy glow, she would slather us with apple cider vinegar.  I swear I smelled like a pickle most of the summer.  But it did relieve the pain and sped up the healing (after you overcome the initial sting of the application!!)  This method can be used even if the sunburn is blistering or beginning to peel.

Well … I hope this article helps you in case you do get burnt this summer.  In Oregon, I fear, we are more likely to rust than sunburn this year though.

Dr. Matt D., is an avid triathlete who knows what it takes to go the distance and what his body needs to stay in peak condition.

Now in his third year as a triathlete, Dr. Matt keeps a regimented training schedule that starts at 4 a.m. and consists of a one-and-a-half hour run and a one hour swim three times a week before heading off to the office. On the weekends, he switches gears and goes for a three- to six-hour bike ride.

But, prior to joining Isagenix® in May 2011, Dr. Matt’s nutrition regimen included a generic protein, leading to less than perfect performance results. When he competed in the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene, he finished the race in 11 hours 46 minutes.

After that race, Dr. Matt switched to Isagenix products. His next race proved successful. He competed in the 2011 Ford Ironman Arizona and gained two hours on his time, finishing the race in 9 hours, 47 minutes and 53 seconds.

“Isagenix is what helps me do it,” says the Arizona native and family practitioner.

So what’s the secret to his success? Dr. Matt mixes his shakes with one scoop of IsaPro®, one-and-a-half scoops IsaLean® Shake and one scoop of Isagenix Greens! twice daily. He credits the high-quality protein for his amazing results. Now it will be even easier for him to create his powered-up shake thanks to the new IsaLean® Pro.

Dr. Matt’s next half Ironman is on June 10 in Kansas. The course includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. He anticipates he will beat his best time.

“My goal is to qualify for the half Ironman 2012 World Championships in Las Vegas, Nev. this September,” shares the 1-Star Golden Circle and Crystal Executive. “I have to finish in the top 10, which I am confident I can do.”

Dr. Matt’s ultimate goal is to win the half Ironman 2012 World Championships.

Are you an elite athlete or know an elite athlete that you think should be featured by Isagenix? Please fill out this form and submit it to Athletes@IsagenixCorp.com with at least five, high-quality pictures. We’ll be spotlighting our IsaAthletes on stage at our big, 10-year anniversary event 2012 “Your Future Starts Today” Celebration.  Please note that Associates must register as an IsaAthlete to be considered for recognition.