Monday Morning Mix-up

My family and I love Nano Greens10. My husband first brought home Nano Greens over a year ago, when I was pregnant with baby. I was having some issues (infections, false labors, etc.) Nano greens has so many amazing ingredients (check below). We love it! My boys drink it and enjoy it! 

Last week, I started to drink this when I couldn't keep anything down. I wanted to make sure that I was putting high quality foods/drinks in my body. I started taking Nano Greens on Thursday, we were out before that, just in hopes to keep it in long enough to absorb the vitamins (and other goodness!) before loosing it. 

May I tell you Thursday was my worse day. May I also tell you Friday I was 95% better.

Bio Pharma - does carry a few other products that I hope to sometime try. Nano Red, Nano Omega, Nano Pro, etc. 

Nano Greens website

Check out the SUPER Ingredients:

Barley Grass Juice Powder*, Spirulina*, Chlorella (Japanese soft shell) 

Phyto-Nutrient Blend (Proprietary) 325 mg 

Blueberry, Green Tea Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Cranberry, Raspberry, Tart Cherry, Pine 

Bark Extract, Broccoli, Tomato, Carrot, Spinach, Kale, Brussels Sprout, Bilberry, Elderberry, 

Pomegranate, Blackberry 

Isoquercitin/Rutin 50/50 160 mg 

Raspberry Extract (20% Ellagic Acid) 50 mg 

Fruit & Vegetable Blend 900 mg 

(Proprietary; freeze-dried, low temperature dried) 

Apple*, Carrot*, Mango*, Sweet Potato*, Lemon*, Parsley*, Peach*, Kale*, Broccoli*, Spinach*, Leek*, Beet* , Cranberry* (Quinic Acid 6%) 

Acerola Cherry Powder* (17.5% Ascorbic Acid) 175 mg 

Rice Bran Soluble* 2500 mg 

Aloe Vera Powder Extract* (100:1 freeze dried) 30 mg 

Green Tea, White Tea (decaffeinated, 50% Polyphenol) 100 mg 

Polygonum Cuspidatum (15% Resveratrol) 50 mg 

Oat Beta Glucan* 2200 mg 

Cinnamon Blend (Proprietary) 50 mg 

Cinnamon Extract 8%, Cinnamon Bark Powder* 

Milk Thistle (20% Silymarin) 50 mg 

Marigold Extract (5% Lutein with Zeaxanthin) 50 mg 

Dunaliella Salina (Natural Carotenoids) 100 mg 

Enzymes (plant-based) 40 mg 

Alpha Amylase, Bromelain, Cellulase, Galactosidase, Glucoamylase, Hemicellulase, Lipase, Papain, Protease 

Lecithin (non GMO) 1925 mg 

Cabbage (Japanese, fermented) 30 mg 

Lycopene Extract-10% (from tomato) 25 mg 

Lemon Peel Powder* 25 mg 

Quinoa Sprout* 90 mg 

Artichoke Extract (5% Cynarin) 20 mg 

Atlantic Kelp Powder* (Laminara Digitata) 20 mg 

*Certified Organic Ingredient 

Other Ingredients: 

Natural flavors (plant-based), stevia, NanoSorb (phospholipids, lipid esters), citric acid. 

This Mornings Monday Morning Mix-up is Chocolate Avocado Smoothie. 

This raw, healthy milkshake is not only incredibly delicious, but contains an abundant amount of nutrients. You'll never have to feel guilty drinking a milkshake again!!!!

My 2 1/2 year old thought this was a ice cream milkshake! :) It is that good!!!

The Ingredients:

1 Avocado

2 TBSP Cocoa Powder

1 cup Coconut Milk

1/2 banana

2 TBSP RAW Honey (we prefer RAW but local or whatever honey you can get is fine too!)

1 tsp Vanilla

Handful of ice

The Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a blender for a minute or until smooth. You can add more or less milk, depending on how you like the thickness of the shake to be.

Feel free to get creative on the shake! Post your changes under the comment section!

Healthy ways to prevent ...

What a crazy 10 days... 


Last Friday, sweet baby, came down with fever and a runny nose. We had a few rough nights because Baby just wanting to be held and loved on! I spent most of the nights rocking him and trying to make him comfortable. 


As you can imagine, I was beat. I was running on empty. Tuesday, my body gave up fighting and I have spent the week in bed and bathroom. I am still fighting but I am healing! 


With that being said I thought this was a perfect time to write a little about what my family and I do when a cold/flu hits the house. 


**The most important thing my family does is gets adjusted. Yes, we are blessed to have a chiropractor in our home but please know I have seen a chiropractor most of my life. Our boys have been getting adjusted since they were hours old. 


For those of you who do not know about Chiropractic --- The Power that made the body can heal the body. Chiropractors work on turning on the power. 


Watch the clip below.




**The second thing we do is put hydrogen peroxide in the ears. Dr. Mercola has a great article on this, go here! He says, " Many patients have had remarkable results in curing colds and flu within 12 to 14 hours when administering a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into each ear. You will hear some bubbling, which is completely normal, and possibly feel a slight stinging sensation.

Wait until the bubbling and stinging subside (usually 5 to 10 minutes), then drain onto a tissue and repeat with the other ear. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide in 3 percent solution is available at any drug store for a couple of dollars or less. It is simply amazing how many people respond to this simple, inexpensive treatment."

**The third thing we do is we address our diet. We eliminate the sugary foods. Before starting Paleo we would have to eliminate sugary fruits and grains but know we just have to eliminate sugary fruit. Since, I like knowing what I can do, here are some good choices: 

Grass-fed beef

Coconut Oil

Omega 3 fats & co-factors

Locally grown vegetables and fruits (berries)

Herbs

Garlic - kills bacteria and viruses

Drink plenty of water. 

Chicken soup can help reduce your symptoms. Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin the mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily. 

** Finally, sleep. Your immune system is also the most effective when you're not sleep-deprived, so the more rested you are the quicker you'll recover.  (that is just want I needed. Thank you to my mother-in-law for coming and letting me nap)

Supplements: 

Some of the more helpful options for cold (and flu) -- above and beyond vitamin D -- are:

• Vitamin C
• Oregano Oil
• A tea made from a combination of elderflower, yarrow, boneset, linden, peppermint and ginger; drink it hot and often for combating a cold or flu. It causes you to sweat, which is helpful for eradicating a virus from your system.
• Thieves Oil

Other GREAT POINT from Dr. Mercola. 

Avoid the Antibiotics!

More than 300 different viruses can cause colds, so each time you have a cold it is caused by a distinct virus (i.e. adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, coronavirus). A virus is much smaller than a bacteria; it is a tiny cluster of genetic material surrounded by a protein wrapper.

There are currently NO drugs available that can kill these viruses. Antibiotics, including penicillin, do not have any effect on viruses, but unfortunately have been vastly over-prescribed for this very (useless) purpose. That, coupled with the excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture, has contributed to a steep rise in antibiotic-resistant diseases.

Antibiotic-resistant infections now claim more lives each year than the "modern plague" of AIDS, and cost the American health care system some $20 billion a year!

Further, according to one meta-analysis, the health risk from over-use of antibiotics is also a very personal one, as opposed to simply raising the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in the general population over time.

Whenever you use an antibiotic, you're increasing your susceptibility to developing infections with resistance to that antibiotic -- and you can become the carrier of this resistant bug, and spread it to others.

So please, if you have a simple cold remember that an antibiotic will do far more harm than good.

What do you and your family do to stay healthy??? 

Coconut Oil - Tropical Traditions

One product that pretty much does it all for us! Coconut oil!

Coconut oil is a highly saturated tropical oil derived from coconuts of the coconut palm tree. Traditionally it has provided many health benefits to the peoples who live in areas of the tropics and subtropics where coconut palms grow. Many newly discovered health benefits are now being unearthed through careful research and use in clinical practices.

We have been lead to believe that saturated fats are the dietary contributor to heart disease.

Read more from Nourishing Traditions and the Weston A. Price Foundation counter-acting the false beliefs about coconut oil here.

Coconut oil has been called the “healthiest dietary oil on earth.”

Coconut Oil has many great uses!!! 

Cooking

Use 1 cup to 1 cup ratio when replacing other oils/butter in recipes with coconut oil.

Replacement for butter/lard/Crisco in it’s solid form – greasing pans, pie crusts, etc. Nutritional supplement – melt and add to smoothies
Replacement for various oils in liquid form – baking, cooking, sauteing, etc.

I use coconut oil primarily now for all my cooking and baking. I have found olive oil to be superior for greasing pans and for homemade dressings, but other than that, it is all coconut oil!

Baby
We have had a couple of sever cases of diaper rash with Micah. After trying everything and anything, we gave coconut oil a try. Scoop some out in our hand and rubbed onto his bottom. The NEXT day - gone... No sign of ever having a diaper rash. Mix coconut oil with Shea butter for a more everyday diaper rash cream.
Good for everyday lotion, too!


Body
I am just beginning to experiment in this area. So far, I have tried:
Feet - Coconut Oil on dry and cracking feet. 
Moisturizer/Lotion - I have really dry skin. Mix coconut oil with lotion or Shea butter.
Toothpaste - I made my own toothpaste. Still working on the recipe (will share soon!)
Deep Conditioner 
Make-up remover - apply a small amount on a cotton ball.
Lips - this is funny but when I am in the kitchen cooking and have a little coconut oil left, i apply it to the lips!


BM's - I am sorry if that is TMI but seriously, a week off coconut oil I (the whole family) could tell a difference. If you have harder BM's give Coconut Oil a try. Just cook with it and your body will thank you! :) Again, sorry for the TMI.


I hear it is good for aftershave, gel, sunscreen and deodorant.  


I love coconut oil. 


I recently learned about Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil and we were given the opportunity to sample it in our home.


Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil is unrefined and is made with organic coconuts. Fresh coconuts are used and only the best are hand-picked from each harvest. The fresh coconut meat is then shredded and then cold-pressed using the water that is inside of the coconut to make coconut milk. The milk is then allowed to sit for about 12 hours while the oil naturally separates from the milk.


We are big Coconut Oil users!!! Just this week we have used Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil for cooking eggs, making cupcakes, in spinach, on sweet potatoes tater tots, potato fries, air popped popcorn, my dry elbow, Micah's bottom and dry lips. I have been very pleased with the Coconut Oil. 


Make sure you go over to Tropical Traditions and check out all their products... I know, I will!


Thank you, Tropical Traditions for allowing me to sample your product!



DISCLAIMER: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Natural Pest Control - Fruit Flies

Fruit Fly Trap

1 quart jar
1 piece of paper, rolled up into a funnel
tape
apple cider vinegar
small slice of banana

Fill a quart jar with a 1/2 inch of apple cider vinegar and a small piece of banana. Roll up your paper into a funnel shape (larger at the top) and tape it in place. Place the funnel into your jar and make sure all the edges are secured shut with tape. You may have to adjust the size of your funnel to make sure it fits nicely into your jar. Place the jar where the fruit flies are flying around and let it go to work. You will be amazed at how well this trap works. The fruit flies will smell the fruit and climb inside, but for some odd reason they don’t fly back up the funnel to get out. When you have caught a good supply, place the entire jar in the freezer. After a short time the flies will die and you can remove the jar from the freezer and use it again without even removing the old contents. Use repeatedly until your fruit flies are eliminated.

This really works! There are 10 + fruit flies in the jar !!!!