How to Eat a Pomegranate and why you really need to.

I have walked passed pomegranates for years in the markets and not given them a second thought. If you can't pick it up and take a bite out of it well, who has the time for that? Not until my mom {again with my mom and her influence on my healthy eating habits} brought home a few from a farmers market.... maybe it was Sprouts, anywhoo, I watched her break one open and pop out the  crimson  colored translucent seeds and was fascinated. I've been hooked ever since. Waiting patiently, not a virtue of mine, for October when pomegranates begin to show themselves on the produce stands.

For 3 short months through the Fall and Winter holidays you can enjoy this amazing fruit. It's gorgeous crimson color makes it absolutely perfect to show off in holiday meals, making any salad or dessert POP with color and tang. But it's the health benefits that made me a fan for life.





Pomegranates date back hundreds of years as all good food does. Hippocrates himself used to recommend them to treat a number of disorders and ailments like eye infections, digestive health and morning sickness.
Nowadays pomegranates are known for their amazing antioxidant properties probably in part to POM juice. They are vital to a healthy immune system ridding the body of all sorts of toxins and free radicals. Sounds hokey? Free radicals are attributed to early signs of aging, persistent illnesses, cardiovascular disease and most cancers.

O.K. so if you're anything like me maybe you too have never bought or eaten a pomegranate. 

Here is a quick tutorial on how to easily eat one without making a big mess of it.

First, cut open the pomegranate lengthwise down the middle. (not from top to bottom)
Admire how pretty it is.
Use a cutting board that won't stain, the juices are pretty but hard to remove.

Fill a large bowl with cool water. Place the cut pomegranate into the bowl. Gently break apart the sections, the seeds easily pop out. It is easiest to do this under water so you

a)  Don't make a huge mess with the juice
b) the seeds are much easier to get out under water
c) the white skin will float to the top making it easy to scoop out. 

This is just showing you what you will be doing under water so you can see easier. 

The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the white 'skin' will float. Gently swish the seeds around to release any more skin. Using your fingers or a small sieve, scoop out the skin.

Drain the water and pop the tart and sweet seeds into your mouth!
My mom chews the seeds in the middle, but I can't get past it so I spit them out.
My 5 and 6 year old boys love pomegranates!

I've seen recipes in the past where people sprinkle pomegranate seeds onto salads and baked goods or even pastas. I like to eat them all by themselves or on the side of my salad.

I love the contrast between the tangy sweetness of the pomegranates paired with this chicken-fennel salad. 

Enjoy!

Have you ever eaten pomegranate? Will you now?

What produce have you not tried that you think you would like to?

sources:
Pomegranate Nutrition

Soap's Dirty Little Secret

photo via CNN Health

Have you ever given a second thought to the type of soap you use? Do you like a pretty floral or fruity smelling soap? Do you prefer an anti-bacterial one? Is price your main concern?

I've seen people over the years stock up on anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers in hopes of evading illnesses and germs.  I thought I'd touch base on the truth about anti-bacterial and other soaps. I'm glad to see more people steering clear of anti-bacterial soaps these days because they are just not necessary and cause more harm than good. 


Why?  

Antibacterial products leave surface residues, creating conditions that may foster the development of resistant bacteria and lower the resistance of your immune system.  Keeping things clean is great, but all these antibacterial products are overkill and counterproductive. Furthermore, they are chemical laden and extremely drying and harsh on your sensitive skin.


Antibacterial soaps don't work any better than regular soap. They do prevent illness in health care settings, where patients are more vulnerable to germs. But the antibacterial ingredients in hospital-strength soaps are up to 10 times the concentration of store-bought soap.

Also, antibacterial ingredients don’t kill viruses, which cause the vast majority of minor illnesses people experience. That includes colds, the flu, and stomach bugs.

Most soaps contain synthetic ingredients such as fragrances, added color and stabilizers.

Did You Know?

Soap in and of itself does not rid your skin of germs. The act of friction and length of time you wash is what gets rid of dirt and germs. I have my kids slowly sing the ABC's while they wash their hands as fast as they can, then we say goodbye to the germs as we wash them down the sink. Aim for at least 30 seconds of vigorous scrubbing before you rinse.


So what kind of soap is best?

Any mild, natural or Organic soap is best for your skin, the environment and your long-term health.



What is glycerin soap?

Glycerin absorbs water from the air and attracts moisture to the skin. When used in combination with the proper essential oils, you get a moisturizing soap which can also restore and heal damaged skin and hair.

Glycerin itself is more valuable than soap because it acts as an emollient and humectant, which means it moisturizes skin and draws moisture to the skin's surface.

Organic soap makers usually leave the glycerin in the soap, which makes it considerably less drying than non-organic soap. Companies that mass produce soap generally remove the glycerin to use it in more profitable cosmetic products such as face creams and body lotions.

So does that mean it's more expensive? Not really. Especially if you are buying those pretty fragrance soaps at the mall or any liquid pump soap. Sorry to burst your bubble {pun intended}.

I switched to bar soap which has saved us a TON of money. Especially with 4 kids in the house

 who seem to go through a bottle of soap in a few days. Bubbles are fun.
A bar of soap lasts much longer than liquid soap and works just as well.

Bar Soap - $1.89   vs.   Liquid - $3.99

Clearly Natural Soaps

  

Three of my favorite brands:

Tom's of Maine   Runs around $3.00 for a bar.  I've seen Tom's at most grocery stores that have a 'specialty' section.

Trader Joe's  Liquid Glycerin Soap - Runs around $2.80 for a 12.5 oz. bottle. I love how incredibly gentle and moisturizing this soap is! It smells so fresh and clean too. Trader Joe's is an extremely
eco-conscience retailer as well so you just can't go wrong here.

Trader Joe's  Oatmeal and Honey Bar Soap.  Not only is this all natural, eco-friendly, moisturizing and smells wonderful, it cost less than $2.00 for TWO bars!  Score!  

Some information gathered from

Asparagus Soap
Pioneer Thinking
Livestrong
Scientific America
WebMD

Tea Trea Oil: My Favorite Natural Cure All. and a note on MRSA

First, the disclaimer. The information in this post is meant as a guideline and to be informative only. I am not a doctor and this is not meant to be used as medical advice. I am in the health care profession and believe that there is a time and place for medicinal cures and for surgery. Please use your best judgment when treating yourself and your family with any product, man made or natural. Tea Tree Oil has been a true God send for me and my family. I have been using it for many years now and keep finding different uses for it. I am writing this post simply because it really and truly works for so many conditions and ailments and I just wanted to share the information with whoever might find it useful.

I haven't bought OTC antibacterial ointments in at least 10 years. Partly because 2 very respected hand surgeons that treat an enormous amount of infections surgically, adamantly protested the use of these ointments and in fact said they were worse than using nothing at all. According to him and his (physician) partner, these ointments actually prolonged the healing of minor and major (surgical) wounds. Wounds are supposed to be kept clean and dry in order to heal, not gunked up with goop and smothered with a band aid. Also, I have found this wonderful, all natural treatment from a plant in Australia that is used to treat infections and beyond called Tea Tree Oil.

When my second son Jack was just 1 week old I noticed a 'blister' on his itty bitty baby toe. Having worked in surgery for so many years I immediately new it was an infection. But how could this be? He was only a week old!  Being the crazy, new, paranoid mother that I was I put him right in his car seat and drove him to the pediatricians office whom we hadn't even had the pleasure of meeting yet. The skeptical receptionist/MA at the front desk suggested I go back home and make an appointment. Ha! Only a normal person would do something like that. I insisted that we see a Dr.,  not a nurse or PA immediately seeing as that it had been over a week since he'd been born and I hadn't been able to get an appointment thus far.

She saw the seriousness in my eyes and managed to find a doctor in the place. O.K. Long story short (what, to late for that?) It ended up being MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) a highly resistant infection that used to only be seen in chronically ill patients in the hospital setting. Thanks to over and mis-use of antibiotics however there is a new super bug that is spreading like wild fire called " Community Acquired MRSA or CA-MRSA"  Only a few years ago MRSA was almost always Hospital Acquired or HA-MRSA, meaning it was found primarily in long term hospital patients No longer is this scary bug confined to immune-compromised patients with surgical wounds, it is in our schools, the local gym you go to and the restaurants you eat at. In fact, 3-4 out of 5 people are said to be carriers. Meaning if you swabbed 5 peoples noses and tested for the super bug, 3-4 of them would have MRSA in there bodies.

After spending some time in isolation at the Children's hospital and frightening talk of maybe having to do a spinal tap and 2 weeks of  heavy duty I.V. antibiotics on my newborn baby we found out at our 2 week follow up appointment that 7 other newborn babies had shown up with MRSA (at that pediatric office alone) and it had been traced back to the hospital where they were all born, probably a nurse who had contact with the babies who was a carrier of the bug.

picture from Bien-'Etre skincare and wellness

Two years later a week before Christmas, Jack had been acting sick for about a week and I noticed a lump on the side of his neck. It turned out to be a peritonsilar abscess that needed to be treated surgically. The results confirmed it was indeed MRSA and we spent 2 whole weeks in the hospital on some pretty serious drugs. They tried to send us home after a few days post-op but the 1 of only 2 or 3 antibiotics that will actually treat MRSA is so harsh my then 2 year old couldn't even tolerate it going down his throat. The stuff smelled like gasoline! So, we ended up back in the hospital on I.V. antibiotics.

This whole experience was a very difficult and frustrating time. Not only for obvious reasons like having to watch your baby suffer with such a scary infection and go through surgery and then regress back to an infantile state in his confined metal crib, but because nobody could give me a straight answer on the recovery or recurrence of MRSA. Not any of the doctors, nurses or even the Infectious Disease Control Specialist that visited us. There just wasn't enough information about this new form of the disease,

CA-MRSA.

What I was told over and over again was that my son would most likely have MRSA infections for the rest of his life. Every scrape, every cut that got infected, every chest cold and ear infection would likely be MRSA. What's worse is that eventually this bug becomes resistant to antibiotics as well and then the infections become Vancomycin resistant which means nothing will treat the infection.

This was very hard for me to accept being as that I have always been very skeptical of the use of antibiotics. Again, I am grateful for them as a last resort but firmly believe that most doctors over prescribe them and most people don't use them correctly, such as forgetting to finish the full dose which is exactly how the staph infections became resistant to the antibiotics in the first place.

Instead of accepting the fate of my son to be destined to using harsh medicine over and over which destroys your GI tract, kidneys, liver and over all health, I decided to do a bunch of research for natural alternatives. Tea Tree Oil is one of the solutions I found that it ended up working miracles for us. Silver being the second, but we won't dive into that today since I've probably already lost most of you anyway at this point.

this is the brand I use

I first tried it myself and then started giving Jack small amounts of tea tree oil topically as a prophylactic (preventative) measure. For young children I suggest mixing a teaspoon or so of Vitamin E or Olive Oil with 1 drop tea tree oil and rubbing it on the bottoms of their feet and/or under their arms near the lymph nodes. Keep away from their face and hands as small children will rub their hands on their eyes and put them in their mouth. I haven't found that tee tree oil burns at all when I use it as a face wash, but still think it's best to keep away from children's sensitive faces.

What Exactly Is Tea Tree Oil?

picture from Dermaxime Skin Care

Tea tree oil is an essential oil  from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia, a plant native to Australia.
Historically, the leaves were used as a substitute for tea, which is how tea tree oil got its name. The part used medicinally is the oil from the leaves.

Australian aboriginals used tea tree leaves for healing skin cuts, burns, and infections by crushing the leaves and applying them to the affected area. Tea tree oil contains consituents called terpenoids, which have been found to have antiseptic and anti fungal activity. The compound terpinen-4-ol is the most abundant and is thought to be responsible for most of tea tree oil's antimicrobial properties.

Today tea tree oil is used for many ailments from acne to athletes foot. Personally and for my family I have used tea tree oil {and it worked} for the following conditions:

• Relief of itching and inflammation from bug bites (2-3 drops in a basin of water, soak 10-15 minutes. 5-8 drops in a tub full of water.)
• Acne (when mixed 2-3 drops with 1/4 cup EVOO and Castor oil as a cleanser)
• Ppsoriasis (small patch on my forehead)
• Eczema, (mild cases on 2 of my 4 children)
• Infections (from skin and ear infections to pneumonia. I pour a few drops of Vitamin E oil and 1-2 drops tea tree oil in the palm of my hand and simply rub onto skin. It will soak into your body and amazingly enough has worked wonders for treating almost all infections my kids have had. We've only had to get antibiotics 1 in the last 2-3 years for a stubborn ear infection.)
• Toe nail fungus (from getting pedicures)  Mix 3-6 drops of tea tree oil in a basin of water and soak feet for at least 10 minutes, 1-2 times a day. This worked much, much faster than any OTC or prescription medicine used to treat nail fungus which is notoriously hard to cure.
• Dry Scalp/Dandruff (mix 2-3 drops in Cider Vinegar & Baking powder)
• Aromatherapy to treat colds and persistent coughs.

Here is an example of why it might be better to use a natural product such as Tea Tree Oil instead of a man-made chemical based one.

A single-blind randomized trial by the Department of Dermatology at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia compared the effectiveness and tolerance of 5% tea tree oil gel with 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion in 124 people with mild to moderate acne. People in both groups had a significant reduction in inflamed and non-inflamed acne lesions (open and closed comedones) over the three month period, although tea tree oil was less effective than benzoyl peroxide.

Although the tea tree oil took longer to work initially, there were fewer side effects with tea tree oil. In the benzoyl peroxide group, 79 percent of people had side effects including itching, stinging, burning, and dryness. Researchers noted that there were far less side effects in the tea tree oil group.

A little goes a long way! Start with just a drop or two and increase as needed.

Things to consider when using and purchasing Tea Tree Oil

• Make sure it comes int a dark bottle so the light doesn't destroy the medicinal properties in the oil.
• Do NOT take tea tree oil orally. It is to be used topically or as an aromatherapy only.
• A little goes a long way. Start with just 1-2 drops of oil as a soak or mixed with oil.
• Choose a bottle with a dispensing cap that only lets a drop out at a time (like the one I use pictured above) or one that comes with a dropper.
• Tea Tree Oil can be found at most Naturopathic and Holistic shops as well as many common stores including most Walmart's, Sprouts, Walgreen's, CVS, Whole Foods and Fry's Marketplace.

Give Away in Honor of Earth Day: A set of your choice of curtains made from 100% recycled products!

Now that the weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer, I've been doing some Spring cleaning, organizing and re-decorating. It's definitely time to update my heavy, dark curtains in my front room. It's been on my 'To Do List' for quite some time now but I've always hesitated to purchase a second set of curtains. Partly because they are expensive and partly in an effort to be more conscience of the impact all this 'stuff' around the house has on the environment.

Have you seen the movie WALL-E? The little futuristic robot that is left behind on a barren and depleted Earth collecting piles and piles of trash and junk left behind by humans who have now escaped into space. Who knows if that could happen someday, but the thought of all the stuff we collect and waste pokes at me when buying new things that aren't of necessity.

So needless to say I was very excited to find this Eco-conscience company that sells curtains made from 100% recycled products. Very cool. I received a set of these Caress Voile Sheer panels and they are just a beautiful breath of fresh air for my front room.

In honor of Earth Day,

Curtainworks is generously offering to send a set of 

curtains of your choice to one lucky winner!
Make sure you visit their site to see more beautiful choices.

 

CURTAINWORKS INTRODUCES NEW WINDOW COVERING MADE WITH

REPREVE® RECYCLED FIBERS

 Consumers interested in decorating their homes in ways that reduce environmental impact now have a stylish alternative in window treatments.  This spring, Curtainworks is introducing the Caress Voile Sheer, a fashionable and affordable new window treatment featuring REPREVE® fibers made from 100% recycled materials, including used plastic beverage bottles.

“The Caress Voile Sheer is both beautiful and versatile, providing numerous design options from casual to dramatic, and is suitable for use in many rooms.”

The Caress Voile Sheer offers many benefits, including:

·         Rod pocket construction

·         Semi-sheer look that maintains privacy while still letting light in

·         Color assortment includes gold, ivory and white for a wide array of design possibilities

·         Offered in five lengths ranging from 63 – 120 inches; with a width of 59 inches

·         Made from 55% REPREVE® Polyester/45% polyester; on average, one panel saves seven 16 oz. plastic bottles from a landfill

To Enter: You must be a follower of Simply Healthy Family. The follow button is on the right hand side of this blog. If you're already a follower leave a comment saying hi. If your a new follower leave a comment and a link to your blog if you'd like so I can stop by and say hi! Please make sure your comments link back to an email address or provide one so that I can notify you if you win!

Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry telling!

+1 more comment:  by subscribing via RSS or e-mail to Simply Healthy Family's feeds. and leave a comment telling me you did.

+1 more comment: Follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did.

+1 more comment: Share this giveaway! Sharing buttons are right below this post. Just leave a comment telling me how you shared.

Giveaway closes:  Friday, May 6th. The winner will be contacted via e-mail and announced the following day.



Good Luck!

Kefir vs. Yogurt. Put This On Your Grocery List Today!

Kefir is a fermented milk drink. The word kefir is said to have originated from the Turkish word "Keif" which means "good feeling". Kefir dates back many centuries to the shepherds of the Caucasus Mountains who carried kefir grains in milk stored in leather pouches where it would ferment into fizzy sour yogurt. Doesn't sound appetizing? Well actually it is! A diet of kefir grains is what's been attributed the long and healthy life of the people of the Caucasus Mountains.


What makes kefir so good for you? Inside the kefir grains are billions and billions of live beneficial bacteria.
When ingested, these bacteria literally cleans your body of bad bacteria and other harmful things that shouldn't be there. Immediately after drinking kefir you feel fresh and relaxed.

In addition to beneficial bacteria and yeast, kefir contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Particularly calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, B2 and B12, vitamin K, vitamin A and vitamin D. Tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids abundant in kefir, is well known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system.

So, how is Kefir different than the yogurt that we all know and love?

Click 'read more'  below to find out!

Well, when comparing probiotics, kefir has about 5 times more friendly bacteria than yogurt. And the diversity of those beneficial bacteria are much wider than those in yogurt. Think of it as really, really smart yogurt!

Most yogurts that people buy contain a ton of sugar or artificial sweeteners, even the ones labeled 'healthy'.
Kefir is absolutely positively wonderful tasting and contains no added sugars or artificial additives.
Instead of buying those flavored yogurts or yogurt smoothies, buy some kefir next time instead!

Also, the abundance of enzymes in kefir brings more health benefits than yogurt, especially to lactose intolerant people, many of whom can tolerate kefir without difficulty, as long as the kefir is raw and not cooked (cooking destroys the enzymes). How is this possible? Kefir's beneficial yeast and bacteria provide alctase, an enzyme whic consumes most of the lactose left after the culturing process.


Unlike yogurt, kefir can help protect and repair your gut after you've taken antibiotics! I drink kefir daily as do my kiddos. I attribute this along with a diet rich if fruits and veggies to the fact that none of us get sick nearly as much as we used to, and when we do it's much less severe and short lived.

 My Kefir Parfait 

Some of the ways we enjoy tart, creamy and delicious kefir:

• Kefir Parfait's with fresh berries and home made granola
• In a banana-strawberry smoothie
• I switch out my babies cow milk bottle for a bottle of kefir every day.
• Straight out of the bottle for a mid-morning pick me up, Yum!

picture from Lifeway Kefir

For those of you who want to lose weight,  having kefir as part of your diet could make you shave unwanted weight faster. Because kefir has probiotics, it speeds up the your body’s metabolism letting your body burn more fats and calories even if you’re only spending your normal workout time.





Amazing Health Benefits of Kefir You'll Feel Right Away:

1.Strongest natural remedy against any allergy


2.Strongest natural antibiotic without side effects

3.Treats liver disease

4.Treats gallbladder, dissolves gall bladder stones

5.Clears the body of salts, heavy metals, radionuclides, and alcoholic products

6.Cleans the body of chemical antibiotics

7.Treats kidney stones

8.Good bacteria in kefir are able to fight off pathogenic microorganisms

9.Lowers level of LDL cholesterol

10.Cleans the gastrointestinal tract

11.Irritable Bowel Syndrome

12.Treats gastritis

13.Treats pancreatitis

14.Treats ulcers

15.Prevents and treats colon cancer

16.Improves digestion

17.Improves the body functions

18.Improves the human immune system

19.Cures Candida yeast infections

20.Cures hypertension

21.Stops growth of cancer cells

22.Speeds up healing process

23.Treats psoriasis

24.Treats eczema

25.Treats inflammatory diseases

26.Reduces size of tumors

27.Treats heart disease

28.Reverses calcination of blood vessels

29.Clears the blood vessels

30.Boosts the bodies energy

31.Natural “feel good” food

32.Treats lung infections

33.Normalizes metabolism thereby can be used as for weight loss

34.Cures acne

35.Has anti-oxidants and anti-aging properties

36.Nourishes hair

37.Treats the gum disease parodontosis

38.Lessens effects of medicines

39.Replenishes body of good bacteria after antibiotic

40.Balances the microflora of the body’s digestive system

41.Regulates blood pressure

42.Lowers blood sugar

43.Lowers blood lipid levels or cholesterol and fatty acids

44.Treats diarrhea

45.Treats constipation

46.Promotes bowel movement

47.Anti-stress properties

48.Treats sleeping disorders

49.Treats depression

50.Treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

51.Improves the brains neuro functions like reflexes, memory retention, attention, the five senses

52.Reduces flatulence

53.Lactic acid fermentation enhances the digestibility of milk based foods. People who cannot otherwise digest milk, can enjoy the vital calcium rich Kefir.

54.Treats yeast infection

55.Eliminates vaginal odors

56.Cures wrinkles

57.Treats arthritis

58.Treats colitis

59.Treats gout

60.Cures migraines

61.Treats rheumatism

62.Treats other stomach disorders

63.Detoxifies the body

64.Improves protein quality of milk, and enhances absorption and digestion

65.Good bacteria manufacture B vitamins such as B3, B6 and folic acid.

66.Aids in treating tuberculosis

67.Treats stomach cramps

68.Treats chronic intestine infections

69.Treats liver infections

70.Treats asthma

71.Treats bronchitis

72.Treats sclerosis

73.Treats anemia

74.Treats hepatitis

75.Healing effects on catarrh, digestive nodes, astral nodes, bilious complaints

76.Treats leaky gut syndrome

77.Prevents metastasis

78.Cures bad morning breath

 
 

Think it's to good to be true?

Don't take my word for it, start drinking kefir regularly and you'll quickly see the many benefits for yourself.

 
 

So put Kefir on your grocery list right away and get feeling better!

 

 
 
 
 
 

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This post is linked to

La Bella Vita's 'Seasonal Saturday's'
Paisly Passion 'Fun with Food Friday'
 
 
Resources
 
Seeds of Health
Your Kefir source
Be Well Buzz

All Natural Cough-Control 'Tea'

Since I have been feeling icky the last couple of days, I thought this was worth re-posting. This tea is so soothing and such a wonderful relief for your cough and sore throught, it really works! Herbs are amazing natural healers, detoxifiers and soothers. I recently found a 'bed time' tea from my fav tea maker, Republic of Tea, that I have fallen head over heals for! I'm not a big fan of chamomile tea and so I was really happy when I tasted this tea and it was fantastic! It's a blend of  organic rooibos, soothing chamomile, passionflower and the mellowing properties of Valerian. Not only did it taste wonderful but it made me relaxed and sleepy. I fell asleep and stayed asleep all night. This is nothing short of a miracle for me!

I use this tea along w the lemon, herbs and honey concoction I talk about below to

sooth my cough, throat and chest.

Republic of Tea's 'Be Well' line is fabulous! Check out these wonderful tea's for your every ailment!

Sizing up 25 studies on over-the-counter cough medicine, a recent research review published in "The Cochrane Library" determined that there's no good evidence for or against the effectiveness of cough formulas such as Robitussin and Mucinex.

For natural, reliable cough relief, try a tea recipe recommended by Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., director of education at the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine.
It features thyme, which alleviates chest congestion and supports respiratory function, along with
throat-soothing honey, sage, and vitamin-C-rich lemon.

From Body+Soul, May 2008






I've made this several times now for myself and my children and it is a God send! Which should come as no surprise since Nature usually knows best. It works. It's good. It's soothing.

All Natural Cough-Control Tea


1. Pour 8 oz. hot water over 2 teaspoons organic lemon rinds, 1 teaspoon sage, and 1/2 teaspoon thyme. (Dried or fresh herbs can be used.)

2. Cover and steep for 15 minutes

3. Strain "tea", then add juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 tablespoon Organic honey.

4. Drink two to three cups daily for cough relief.

*** You can also add this mixture to a cup of your favorite bedtime tea or apple cider for kids.

 Yes, I have made this for myself and my small children and not only does it work but they love it. I recently put this 'tea' in my 15 month old's sippy cup and her horrible croopy cough sounded better immediately!
I promise it works so much better than OTC cough medications and is much safer and better for you!


*** Most pediatricians DO NOT recommend feeding infants under 12 months of age honey. After 12 months of age you can introduce pasteurized honey or Organic honey to your child. Here is a good site for information on feeding your baby honey. Wholesome baby food

Take a Hike!

Yesterday we went on a nice hike in the White Tank Mts. in the far west valley.  I love Arizona, especially in the winter months when the weather is just perfect. Some times I wish for snow and boots and pretty fur coats but then I remember how lucky we are to be able to go on a beautiful hike and have a picnic in January!

These are some pics I snapped on the short "Water Fall Trail"

Not much of a waterfall, more like a trickle, but we Zonies will gather round and stare at a trickle of water in the dry desert when we get the chance. ;)

This is the desert through my 'eyes'.

Did you know that the Sonoran Desert is the only place Saguaros grow naturally?

Cholla cacti also are native to the Arizona desert and a small part of California. There are over 20 species and are sometimes called ' Jumping Cactus' since the needles will jump off the plant if you get to close!

Crazy Zonies standing around staring at the "Water Fall"  Don't strain your eyes, it's only a trickle.

No, it's not really snowing... Photoshop. It was very cold out, much colder than usual and there is snow on the mountains in the background, can you see it?

Aren't those snow capped mountains a beautiful site in the desert? I Love it!






We needed a nice hot bowl of flavourful soup to warm us up!
This soup is part of the detox diet from Whole Living.
Not sauteing the veggies and using lots of in season, lightly cooked veggies make this soup
healthy and hearty.
Free Range Chicken adds healthy protein and flavor, feel free to skip it if you'd like, the almond
butter is a good source of protein.
Almond butter makes this soup so very decadent and is an excellent source of
 healthy monounsaturated fat, essential for heart health and controlling blood sugar.
.

Photo and recipe from Whole Living

Please excuse me, I try to always do my own pics but time and light quality were against me in a
big way last night! The recipe calls for collards of which I used along with Bok Choy I need to use up.

I'm sending this over to Fresh Friday's at La Bella Vita for her wonderful healthy life style blog hop.

Edible Crayons

I saw these fun edible crayons on Kitchen Corners and just had to share them! So cute and creative, and if your feeling super industrious you could try making them ( it's on my 'to do list' ) !
I'm not sure if this is the best solution for little kids who eat crayons since it won't discourage them from eating 'real' crayons in the future, but they sure are cute regardless! Maybe for fun party favors/party activity for kids old enough not to eat real crayons.The best part is, most of the ingredients are made from dried fruits and veggies, healthy!

Other healthy ingredients in each color are bee pollen which is thought of as a fountain of youth for it's numerous health benefits.

The green crayon ingredients: peas, green beans, dried kiwi, green fruity pebbles, dried pumpkin seeds!

 Bee pollen

Marshmallows keep them 'glued' together!

Original idea and pictures found at luxirare.

Berry Stella Cookies from Eden Kitchen!

Why do you blog? To share stories and pictures, to journal your thoughts or travels, for a creative outlet?

I started Simply Healthy family just a few short months ago. I have always loved cooking from scratch. I love how I can create so many wonderful, savoury meals from so many cultures in my very own kitchen. I also wanted to catalogue our family's favourite recipes and maybe make a recipe book someday for me and my friends and family. Lastly, I am passionate about healthy eating and wanted to share just how easy it is to make home made, healthy meals in hopes that people will see that I have 4 children who actually eat healthy and be inspired to give healthy a try.

Those are the reasons I started this blog. In the last few months I have grown to LOVE all of the wonderful foodie sites out there and meeting some really wonderful people. Some of whom I really feel like I know and consider friends. Weird huh?

Lately, I have been cooking quite a bit from fellow foodies blogs and have come across some seriously wonderful dishes and snacks! I feel fortunate to have come across these recipes from all over the world that I would never have otherwise tried.

This brings me to my point. Stick with me....

 I so appreciate that these people have taken the time and love to share their recipes, I know how much time goes into food blogging! I have read about some fellow foodie friends frustrations with people who comment without even reading the posts let alone with the intention of actually trying the recipe. If your anything like me, I really would love people to try my recipes and let me know what they think. In return, like I already mentioned, I cook at least once a week from others blogs/sites and love to let them know how wonderful it was and especially to give a "shout out" on my blog so that others can find these recipes too. I try to only post recipes on Simply Healthy Family that are "family friendly".  This means, they are fairly simple, inexpensive and my kids will eat them (some days are better than others). This does NOT mean that they are bland or boring or your typical "kids foods" like chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese, I don't want to eat that crap.

So, I hope your still with me!! I usually try to keep it short so as not to lose people's attention.
THIS IS THE BEST PART OF THE POST, I PROMISE!!!
 I recently came across a wonderful site with so many amazing recipes I just had to share. Joe from Eden Kitchen who shares my passion for healthy yet delicious foods and I really wanted to do a Shout Out or Guest Post or Simply Share The Love.

Fellow Foodie Friends, meet Joe. I sure hope you check out his wonderful site!

Hi there, my name is Joe Rich. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, edenkitchen.com is all about my favourite recipes and food discoveries.


I am passionate about healthy food. I love cooking with natural, whole foods and fresh produce that's in season - creating food that has real flavour and natural goodness. Thanks!


I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe. I don’t usually go for gimmicky names; I much prefer to call out the predominant or unique characteristics of a recipe and work that into the name. But these oatmeal cookies have a lot of good things I just can’t squeeze into the name. First, they’re about the healthiest cookie you can make before it really stops tasting like a cookie. I used a little maple syrup in place of cane sugar and a good dose of coconut oil, macadamias, flax seed and berries. So these cookies pack in a lot of goodness; protein from the nuts, fibre from the oats and flax seed, lauric acid from the coconut oil, and phytonutrients in the berries. Whoa!



Then there’s the wonderful crunchiness thanks to the medley of oats, desiccated coconut, macadamias and flax seed. And finally, each cookie is bejeweled with a small handful of raspberries and black currants, giving them a lip-smackingly good berry tang. Trust me – they are as good as I’m making them sound.

So what should I call them? Macadamia Berry Oatmeal Cookies? Coconut Macadamia Berry Oatmeal Cookies? You get the idea… It just won’t all fit. So I settled on Berry Stella Cookies. I think it has a nice ring to it and seems to sum up both the flavor and the health(ier) factor.



Berry Stella Cookies Recipe


My cookie cutters didn’t cut through the oats very well and made the edges crumble a little so I ended up pressing the dough into each cutter and working it into the desired shape. It is a little time consuming but gives a much better shape. If you don’t have OCD you could simply roll them into balls, flatten them a little, and be done with the cutters altogether.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or zentrofan fine wheat flour or all-purpose flour)


• 1 cup desiccated coconut


• 1 cup rolled oats


• ½ cup macadamias


• ¼ cup flax seeds, ground


• ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt


• ¾ teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• ½ cup maple syrup


• ½ cup virgin coconut oil


• ½ cup black currants and/or raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse the macadamias in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, desiccated coconut, oats, macadamias, flax seed, salt and baking soda.

Add the vanilla extract, coconut oil, and maple syrup and mix until well combined. If using cookie cutters scoop 2 tablespoons of the dough into each cutter following the instructions above. Otherwise simply roll the scooped dough into balls and flatten them a little.

Lightly press and small handful of frozen berries onto each cookie and bake in the upper third of oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden on top and bottom.

Makes about 20-25 cookies.