Compelling Reasons To Eat Fruits

NutriBullet Recipes posted this on Facebook.

I like it!

Happy Fruit!

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Eat Your Iron

Greens First posted this on Facebook and noted:

Holistic Dad says that Anemics should take note: Vitamin C is needed for Iron absorption, along with B vitamins, vitamin A, and manganese. Don't take calcium and Vitamin E supplements with your Iron.

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Well said.

Happy Iron!

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Breastfeeding Past Two

This picture was posted on Facebook by The Guggie Daily, and this is what they had to say about it:

Prematurely weaning children before age 2 is considered risky. The WHO (World Health Organization) says age 2 is the bare minimum for breastfeeding. And other medical organizations such as this (The American Academy of Pediatrics) one are perfectly fine with breastfeeding past age two.

Worldwide, the average weaning age is 4 (keeping in mind, our (The US) abnormally young weaning rates influenced this number). Nursing until age 7 is also common in history and other parts of the world. It coincides with the milk teeth falling out and the suckling reflex extinguishing.

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I support ALL mothers in their feeding choices for their own children. I do, however, encourage breastfeeding for as long as possible.

Happy Babies!

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Today's Menu 4/27/2013

I started my day sitting in the Sunshine, smelling the fresh Jasmine that bloomed just last night, watching Little Monkey dig in the dirt, and drinking my Shakeology. Life is GOOD!

Breakfast Shake

Fresh Blackberry Juice
1 Banana
1/2 Cup Spinach
1 Scoop Shakeology
Spring Water

To make Blackberry Juice I put 2 cups berries in the large Nutri Bulletcup and added spring water. Blend for a minute. The Nutri Bulletdoes wonders making large seeds into liquid, but the tiny seeds in berries don't cut up and I prefer not to have them in my Shake. I strain the juice with a wire mesh strainer. Pour into a pitcher and keep in the fridge.

Morning Snack

Two eggs scrambled in Olive Oil with Homegrown Tarragon

Lunch

Couscous
Peas
2 Grilled Talapia Filets

Dinner Shake

Homegrown Kale, two kinds
Fresh Homegrown Mint
Coconut Water
1/2 Apple
Shakeology
Spring Water

Snack

Handful of Local Pecans

Happy Day!

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Ice Cream Social and Game Night!

The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Youth of Slidell, LA are pleased to welcome all to an ice cream social and family game night on Saturday, May 18 @6:30pm. This event is open to all ages, not just teens. Please bring your favorite board/card game to add to the fun! Tickets for Ice Cream is $5 per person, or $10 per household, with all proceeds helping the Youth get to San Antonio for the National Youth Gathering.

More info of our Youth Group can be found at www.facebook.com/goodshepherdlutheranchurchyouth

God's Blessings!

Amy Trosclair,

Youth Leader, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
35300 Home Estate Dr, Slidell, LA



Note from Laura:

Happy Socializing!

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Local Berries and Edible Flowers!

I went shopping at the Camellia City Produce Stand. I love that place :) They sell organic, local farm produce. The Strawberries are from Ponchatoula, the Wild Blackberries are from Honey Island Swamp, and the Blueberries are from Blue Tara Farms in Mississippi. I forgot to ask where the flowers were from.

Little Monkey chose a fresh cucumber and started eating it right there in the store! I ate the rest as a snack on the way home.

Happy Fresh Berries!

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The Best Hair Brush -- Tangle Teezer

I found this amazing hair brush for Little Monkey. It's called Tangle Teezer. Her hair is extremely curly. When I use any other brush on her hair, she cries! With the Tangle Teezer, she sits quietly and lets me fix her hair.

Now, if I could just figure out how to get her to actually leave the ponytails IN her hair, I'd be a happier Mama!

Happy Hair!



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Moving That Belt Buckle!

I'm wearing my belt buckle one more inch smaller! Thank you Shakeology!

I bought an extra bag of Shakeology this month so that I can have two shakes per day. Along with my NutriBlasts made with whole, raw food, I am well on my way to a smaller me! I use my Nutri Bullet to make a NutriBlast. Twice a day, I include Shakeology in the mix.

Lunch today was a NutriBlast made with:

1 Banana
1 Cup Coconut Water
Shakeology



Sometimes I like to actually chew and enjoy my dinner salad. If I'm in a hurry, I'll put it all in the Nutri Bullet.

The above Dinner Salad includes

Spinach
Jicama
Carrots
Gala Apple
Cucumber
Dried Cherries
Ranch Dressing
(Omit Dressing if made in Nutri Bullet)

Happy Food!

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Amy Sings for Good Shepherd Sunday

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday in the Lutheran Church. At the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Slidell, La, Amy sang "They Were Ninety and Nine" with the choir.



This is one of my all time favorite songs because it sums up what Jesus does for us. He will search the ends of the earth to save even one of his sheep if they are lost. When he finds that one and brings it home, the Angels in Heaven rejoice!

Happy Good Shepherd Sunday!

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Shakeology On The Go!

I wanted a shaker bottle that I could use to quickly mix my Shakeology and bring with me in the car. I found the Blender Bottle! It's all I was looking for, easy to hold, easy to mix, and easy to drink out of (the cover flips way back away from my nose), and easy to clean! Inside is a wire ball, just like a whisk. When you shake the bottle, the wire ball acts like a whisk, completely mixing your ingredients.

I put a whole banana in my Shakeology in the Blender Bottle, but that didn't work at all. I'm sure that if I had mashed the banana with a fork first, it would have been fine.

Tonight I used Water, Shakeology, and Lucama Powder. Yummy!

Happy Blending!



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My Menu Today 4/12/13

Breakfast

1 cup Instant Grits
1/2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Cup Fruit Juice

Lunch

1 Shakeology
1 Cup Almond Milk
5 Dried Apricot Halves

Drink

1 Cup O.N.E. Coconut Water
1 Jar Gerber Mango
4 Fresh Mint Leaves

Snack

1 Small McDonald's Hamburger

Dinner

10 Medium Baby Carrots (Fitday.com didn't have sliced carrot as an option)
1/2 Cup Sugar Snap Peas, Raw
2 Tbsp Pine Nuts, Raw
2 Tbsp Kraft Ranch Dressing

NutriBlast

1/2 Cup Purple Kale (Homegrown)
1 Medium Apple
1 Cup Fruit Juice
1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasas

Snack

Shakeology
1/4 Cup Lucama Powder

Total Calories 1,856

Total Potassium 76% (Much better!)

Happy Menu!


To Order Shakeology Click Here

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Signing Time! The Great Outdoors

Little Monkey is signing "Grass"!




We watch Signing Time! at least once a day. Little Monkey has many, many signs. She also speaks words as she signs them. Signing Time Volume 8: The Great Outdoorsis one of her favorite videos! She loves to play in the yard, and go to the park. With Spring here, she is watching our Oak tree grow leaves and signs "tree" and "leaf". She sees the wind blow the leaves and signs "wind". "Flower" is one of her favorite signs. She picks different color flowers and signs the colors. (Signing Time Season 2 12: Box of Crayons) When we were at the park taking the above picture, she saw an ant on the tree and said and signed "Bug".

Happy Spring Day, Little Monkey!



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Coconut Water, Mango, Mint NutriBlast

A refreshing NutriBlast high in Potassium! (600 mg)

1 Cup O.N.E. brand Coconut Water
1 Jar Mango Baby Food
4 Fresh Mint Leaves (or 1/4 tsp Dried Mint)

Blast in small Nutri Bullet cup.

Drink immediately. If you let it sit, the mint oil from the fresh leaves will intensify and it will be strong!! Dried mint will probably not do the same thing.

I priced whole Mango versus Baby Food Mango, and found that the baby food jar was cheaper. It was also easier to keep. So far, it's the only baby food I keep for myself, everything else I buy as fresh foods.

Happy NutriBlast!




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Potassium

I use Fitday.com to track the nutritional value of the food that I eat, as well as calories. I noticed that I was getting very little Potassium. This led me to research why we need Potassium.

Here is my shortened version of why we need Potassium. Potassium is used in our bodies to regulate water levels, it is involved in nerve function, muscle control and blood pressure. Most Americans do not get enough potassium in their diets. The recommended daily potassium intake is 4.7 grams a day, which is 4700 mg. Athletes involved in prolonged, hard exercise may require more potassium a day to replace that lost from muscle during exercise and the smaller amount lost in sweat. Low potassium can cause muscle cramping and cardiovascular irregularities. Eating foods high in potassium can prevent these symptoms. One cup of orange juice, a banana or a potato is sufficient to replace the potassium lost during one to two hours of hard exercise. Sport drinks are poor sources of potassium. A nursing mother needs to make sure she is getting at least the recommended daily allowance of 4.7 grams a day, more if possible since she is sharing with her baby.

I am a nursing mother. I am starting to exercise and watch my calorie intake. I feel that Potassium is an important thing to monitor in my diet.

I started looking at foods high in Potassium. Bananas came to mind first, and they are great at 422 mg per medium banana. I checked out my Shakeology bag. To my disappointment, Potassium is not on the nutrition label. I am sure it has to have Potassium! (Note to self, write to Team Beach Body, and ask about that!) Dried Apricots are a great source also, with 407 mg in 10 half pieces. Blackstrap Molasses is next, with 500 mg per 1 Tbsp! Coconut Water tastes great and has 470 mg per 8 oz. A Florida Avocado (the green skin one) has 370 mg per 1/4 Avocado. (I like the green skin ones, they are easy to peel.) Now, if I ate one serving of each of these per day, I'd still only be at 2169 mg per day, or HALF my daily requirements.

I went to Ruby's Natural Foods to see about getting a Potassium pill. Again, to my disappointment, the highest you can get is 99 mg per tablet. I would need 47 tablets per day! I'm better off using that money for real food.

Other fresh fruits and vegetables, of course, have varying amounts of Potassium in them.

I will be keeping an eye on my Potassium intake, and will definitely be including the above foods in my NutriBlasts.

Happy Potassium!





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Mint Harvest! with 15 Uses For Mint

As you can see, my mint plant is flourishing! The top Spring growth is large and beautiful. The Winter growth at the bottom of the pot is kinda scraggly. I used sissors to harvest the stems and leaves.



I cut the tender leaves off the stems. Little Monkey enjoyed chewing on a leaf or two! I decided that since I had so much sweet new leaves, I would trow out the older Winter growth.



I wanted to compost the stems. I learned from the last time I dried mint that if you put the stems into the NatureMill Indoor Composter, they will wrap around the mixing blades and get stuck. This time I cut them up smaller, then ground them even smaller in the NutriBullet. I did not add water because that would cause mildew to grow in the Composter.



I put the leaves on a cookie sheet and dried them in the oven. The oven was set on 200, dried for 5 minutes, stirred, dried for 5 minutes.



I stored my Fresh Dried Mint in a glass jar. I like these jars because they are easy to clean, easy to see what is inside, and come in three different sizes that use the same lid.



My Chocolate Mint plant is beginning to grow. I am looking forward to harvesting this one!



Mint is nutritious also! According to Fitday.com 1 Tbsp of dried mint includes:
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 4.6
Calories from Fat 0.81
Fat 0.096g 0%
Saturated Fat 0.025g 0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.052g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0034g
Cholesterol 0.0mg 0%
Sodium 5.5mg 0%
Potassium 30.8mg 1%
Carbohydrate 0.83g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0.48g 2%
Protein 0.32g 1%
Vitamin A 3%
Calcium 2%
Vitamin D 0%
Thiamin 0%
Niacin 1%
Vitamin B6 2%
Phosphorus 0%
Selenium 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Iron 8%
Vitamin E 0%
Riboflavin 1%
Vitamin B12 0%
Manganese 9%
Copper 1%
Magnesium 2%
Zinc 0%



15 Household Uses For Mint (From Mother Earth Living)


A true botanical wonder, mint is a breeze to care for, and its pleasing aroma makes it a welcome addition to the garden. The best part about this easy-to-grow herb is its usefulness. Mint makes a delicious addition to meals, a healthful tea, a fragrant potpourri and an insect-deterring spray.

This sweet-smelling plant also has soothing and anesthetic properties that make it a great fit for homemade body-care products. To grow mint, get a cutting from a friend or purchase a starter plant at a nursery. (Mint doesn’t reproduce true from seed.)

Mint can actually be too easy to grow—it sometimes takes over the garden—so give this attractive ground cover plenty of room to spread, or plant it in a container.


1. All aBuzz: Growing mint will keep your yard and garden buzzing with beneficial insects. Mint is rich in nectar and pollen, and its small flower clusters keep these sweet treats easily accessible for helpful bugs such as honeybees and hoverflies.

2. Bug Off: While it attracts “good bugs,” mint also deters “bad bugs.” Repel ants and flies by growing pennyroyal mint right outside your door, or spray diluted peppermint essential oil (10 parts water to one part oil) around doorways and windows.

3. Flea Free: Keep pets free of bothersome fleas with this homemade repellent: Bundle 2 parts fresh spearmint, 1 part fresh thyme and 1 part fresh wormwood, and tuck it inside a small pillow. Place the pillow near your pet’s bed or another favorite resting place.

4. Room Refresher: Keep your home smelling fresh by adding a few drops of mint essential oil to your favorite homemade or unscented store-bought cleaner. Try this simple floor cleaning solution, good for wood, concrete or tile floors: Dilute a cup of white vinegar in a gallon of water and add 3 to 5 drops of mint essential oil.

5. Beverage Booster: Mint is refreshing in iced beverages. Add sprigs of fresh mint to a pitcher of water or plain iced tea, let it sit for 30 minutes or more, and serve it over ice. If you enjoy cocktails, mix fresh mint into homemade juleps or mojitos.
6. Veggie Revamp: Enjoy an interesting twist on a vegetable medley by adding fresh or dried chopped mint to peas, green beans, carrots or cauliflower during their last two minutes of cooking.

7. Divine Desserts: Mix 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves into chocolate chip cookie dough and bake as usual for wonderfully minty treats.

8. Breath Saver: You don’t have to rely on mint gum or candies to freshen your breath. A sprig of your favorite fresh mint variety will get rid of bad breath just as well. Simply pluck and chew.

9. Tummy Tamer: Peppermint tea is an excellent way to ease an upset stomach. Peppermint helps calm the digestive tract and alleviate indigestion, intestinal gas and abdominal cramping.

10. Hiccup Help: Try this homemade concoction to help soothe the diaphragm irritation that can cause hiccups: Pour a glass of lukewarm water, then add a couple squeezes of fresh lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few mint leaves.

11. Steam Clean: A peppermint steam can help clear sinuses and congestion and fight infection. Bring a pot of water to boil, turn off the heat, add a few drops of peppermint essential oil and lean over the pot, draping a towel over your head. Breathe in the minty steam. Mint steams also act as a cleansing and stimulating facial.
12. Nausea Nix: Peppermint essential oil can boost your mood and reduce feelings of nausea. Simply add a couple drops to a clean handkerchief and breathe in.

13. Headache Healer: Apply a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your temple to relieve migraines, as compounds in peppermint oil are known to calm muscle spasms. You can also make a simple compress to get rid of tension headaches: Pour 3 cups hot water over 3 peppermint tea bags. Steep, covered for 5 to 7 minutes; remove tea bags and add ice. To use, dip wash cloth into cold tea and apply to forehead.

14. Fresh Feet: Mint soothes aching feet thanks to the pain-relieving properties in menthol, a compound in mint. Menthol also triggers a cooling sensation, perfect for foot scrubs. Try this one: Combine 1 cup sea salt, 1⁄3 cup olive oil and 6 drops peppermint essential oil. Scrub feet and rinse.

15. Sunburn Soother: Menthol cools and refreshes the skin, making mint a handy herb to keep around in the summer. Use it to ease sunburn pain by making a strong peppermint tea and refrigerating the mixture for several hours. To use, gently apply to the burned area with cotton pads.

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Happy Mint!






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Square Foot Garden -- My Way -- First Planting -- And Happy Birthdays!

We are expecting a nice rain storm today. I wanted to get something in the Garden that would benefit from that rain today. I decided to sprinkle the seeds on top of the dirt, and let God's rain "plant" them. It's not the conventional way to garden. I am far from conventional anyway! I'll just see what happens this way. This weekend I'll be planting some more.

Today I put out Kohlrabi, Mesclun Salad Mix, Super Snappy Peas, and Carrots. The Peas packet says the vines do not need support, so I put them in the swimming pool.

Today is Anthony and Amy's 23rd birthday! I like the idea that God's rain will be starting new life in the seeds in my garden on their birthday.



Happy Rainy Birthday!

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