Honey Spice Infusion Recipe

Winter break is over.  Today was the first day back to school, and as I lay in bed last night I realized...my throat was sore.  Ugh!  I have a cold.  By this morning I was cold, achy, and my throat was even more sore.  Naturally, I don't have any teabags right now.  Double ugh!  What I needed what something hot and soothing, and that is just what I found.  I dug through my spice cabinet and came up with this delicious and soothing honey spice infusion; perfect for anyone with a cold, or just a cold day.

Here's what you do... Heat 8 ounces of water to near boiling.  Pile 1/8 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. ground clove (or 2 whole cloves), and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon in the center of a coffee filter.  Fold the filter up to make a teabag, and staple closed.  Steep the spicebag in the hot water for approximately 5 minutes, more or less depending on how strong or weak you usually like drinks.  After removing the spicebag, stir in 2 Tbsp. honey, and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Absolutely delicious!  It feels great on my sore throat, but you don't need to feel bad to enjoy it.  This cold weather is perfect for snuggling up with a hot and spicy drink.

Karissa

Mid-week Morsel: How Nutritious is My Homemade Meal?

Writing last Saturday's post has inspired me to try out new recipes for breakfast and beyond.   However, when I get creative and start changing recipes to suit my family and our tastes, I often wonder if the end product is as nutritious as I want it to be.  As I was researching new recipes, I discovered this recipe analyzer from about.com.  It's easy to use, and free! There is nothing to sign up for, no account to create, and you don't have to post your recipe anywhere.  Simply enter each ingredient, it's quantity, and the total number of servings, and Calorie Count will calculate the number of calories and nutritional breakdown of each serving.   Now you can have your cake, know it's nutritional value,  and eat it too.

Karissa

Great Days Need Great Starts

Okay, you've chosen your curriculum, set your schedule, and planned your lessons.  You are ready for school to start...or are you?  All your hard work getting the materials ready might not mean anything unless you get you and your student ready to succeed.  Your best chance for success starts with a nutritious and delicious breakfast each day that will wake you both up and fuel your bodies & brains.  There are a few cold cereals out there that actually pack in a lot of vitamins and minerals, but why settle for over-priced, soggy cereal that had to have nutrients added to it, when you can get your nutrition straight from the source?  With three kids of my own, I know that healthy homemade breakfasts that fill you up can be time consuming and expensive.  I've scoured the web and found some mouth-watering ideas to start each day right, without busting the budget, or cutting into your beauty sleep.

Breakfast wraps like this peanut butter and granola wrap are a

very portable way to do breakfast.  Get creative and wrap just

about anything up in a whole wheat tortilla (or in an egg white

omelet).  Here are some ideas to get you started.

Oatmeal doesn't have to be hot, or boring for that matter.  Use this

overnight oatmeal recipe from Betty Crocker to find ways to jazz

up your baby bear's porridge.

Kids love waffles, but most moms don't like the gallon of syrup &

inevitable sugar rush that comes with them.  Making a tasty Carrot 

Cake Waffle Breakfast Sandwich will surely satisfy everyone.

"You know what ELSE everybody likes? Parfaits! Have you ever

met a person, you say, 'Let's get some parfait,' they say"...you

know the rest.  Parfaits are delicious.  Breakfast parfaits made

with either yogurt or cottage cheese, like this Mango Avocado

 Breakfast Parfait, are sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Like oatmeal, rice can frequently be thought of as a boring

breakfast.  If you get creative and think outside the box, you can

come up with some new and flavorful ways to have rice for

breakfast.  My Chocolaty Rice Cereal is a special treat that will

wake up your taste buds.

Not all muffins are created equal.  Some are more like dessert, and

others try to be so healthy that you might as well eat raw grains.

Blah!  Either way, they are loaded with carbohydrates.  These

Morning Muffins, on the other hand, are made with more egg than

flour, and contain only 7 grams of carbs.  Make a whole pan and 

have breakfast all week.

What quick and healthy breakfast list would be complete without

smoothies?  Smoothies are so versatile, they can be made to suit

even the pickiest eater.  Peanut butter banana smoothies were my

go to food when my sons went through their picky phase.  Boston 

Magazine recently published a colorful list of 12 healthy breakfast

 smoothies that will start your day off right.

Okay, so quick breads might not be the healthiest item on my

list,but they sure are good.  They don't have to be all that bad,

though.  There are simple recipes to make healthier quick breads,

like this pecan topped pumpkin bread.  My Recipes compiled a list

of 5 irresistible healthy quick breads to give you some ideas.

I hope this list of ideas for delicious and nutritious breakfasts help you and your family start each day right.  If you have any great breakfast ideas that I didn't mention, please post them in the comments below.

Karissa

Homemade Health & Beauty Products

If you're anything like me, you felt a little creeped out after this week's Mid-week Morsel; especially if you went to Skin Deep and looked up the beauty products you currently use.  I've done a little looking, and found several simple recipes for homemade health and beauty products.  Just like cooking, making your products from scratch gives you such a sense of accomplishment and comfort.  It's feels great to create effective, natural products for your family.  One recipe that I use already is for our dog, Zeus.  As is common in English Bulldog's, he has skin issues, but washing him every 7-10 days with my own recipe helps keep his skin soft and his fur thick & silky smooth.  (On a side note, he is also on a special diet that contributes to his skin and fur health.)  Here is how I do it...

After I lure him into the bathtub (usually with a piece of meat), I rinse him thoroughly with lukewarm water to  get any loose dirt and oil off of him.  I mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/2 cup water and pour it over his back, rubbing it into his fur as I go.  I keep an empty shampoo bottle that I fill with apple cider vinegar.  I squirt this over his back, little bits at a time.  The vinegar will make the baking soda foam up (think volcano science project).  Massage the foam into his fur and skin.  I let this sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse him with warm water.  Finally, I pour a cinnamon rinse over him.  This is made by simply steeping cinnamon in hot water.  You can use either cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon.  If you use ground cinnamon, put a tablespoon or so of cinnamon in a coffee filter, fold it up like a tea bag, and staple it shut.  Make sure to let the water cool before you pour it over your pet.  I don't want anyone getting burned.  The cinnamon will help your dog smell better, but more importantly, cinnamon is also an antibacterial and antifungal.  Also, I don't know if there is any science behind it, but I've read that cinnamon can help ward off fleas.  If you want to read more about using cinnamon for health, Dogster.com has an informative article.  

There are so many recipes for homemade health and beauty products out there that it's easy to get lost in the search.  Here is a quick list of some of the recipes I've found...

Confessions of a Homeschooler's Lip Balm

Spell Out Loud's Baby Lotion

Good Housekeeping's Hand Lotion, Facial Mask, and Toner

Spark People's Shampoo & Conditioner Recipes

My Homemade Beauty (They have a whole list of various recipes.)

If you have any recipes for great homemade products, post them below in the comments or on my Facebook or Google+ page.

Karissa

Mid-week Morsel: What's in your health & beauty products?

Today is the first day of spring and, for many, the start of spring cleaning. Through the years I've become more and more conscious of what chemicals I bring into my home.  But, what about the chemicals I put on my skin?  Advertisers are very good at making products appear to be natural and good for you.  When I first discovered Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database I was amazed at some of the chemicals that are in products I used every day, and even more amazed at the chemicals being used that had no research behind them.  For example, did you know that Aveeno Active Naturals Continuous Protection Sunblock Body Lotion SPF 85contains butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)?  BHT is a toluene-based ingredient used as a preservative in food and personal care products.  It is a known human immune toxicant or allergen, and has limited evidence of carcinogenicity.  One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells has shown positive mutation results, and one or more animal studies has shown tumor formation at high doses.  So, the product you use to prevent skin cancer contains a chemical that may cause cancer.  That 's not the way it should be.  The good life should be natural and well...good, not full of questionable chemicals that may do harm over time.  Knowledge is our best tool.  It enables us to make better decisions for the well-being of our family.

By the way, thank you all for reading my blog.  You've made my day.  When I logged in to publish this post today, I saw I'd hit 1,500 page views.  I just started this blog in August, so that many page views is very exciting for me.  You guys are awesome!

Karissa

The Flu Season Is Here

As I sat in bed this morning, Matt Lauer informed me that the flu season is here.  Cases have been reported in all 50 states.  Having the flu is no fun.  After all, you're not really living the good life if you're sick.  Luckily, my family has not been sick in years.  Actually, it's not luck; it takes forethought and planning to keep all 5 of us healthy year after year.  Since every person and every person's immune system is different, I can't guarantee that following my advice will always keep your family healthy.  However, I can tell you that it works for mine.  

Vitamin C: I know this is an obvious answer, but eating foods rich in Vitamin C is easier than you might think.  Having a glass of orange juice each day is something that my husband and I preach to our children regularly.  If OJ doesn't appeal to you, or you just want to mix things up a bit, there are a lot of other foods you can add to your menu to give you the 90mg per day that's recommended for men and the 75mg per day recommended for women.  The fruit and veggie platters are a great place to start.  Bell peppers, broccoli, and kiwi all have more Vitamin C than oranges, and strawberries have the same amount as oranges.  (Just be sure no one with a cold has scavenged the platter before you.)  A tropical fruit smoothie is another great way to boost your immune system.  Guava, papaya, Acerola cherries, and grapefruit are all high in Vitamin C.  If you'd like a more detailed list of foods and their Vitamin C quantities, visit Healthaliciousness, the Global Healing Center, or the Daily Green.

Limit Exposure: We all live busy lives.  Staying home for the duration of cold and flu season just isn't an option, however being smart about when and where you go can reduce your exposure to viruses.  My first tip is to limit eating out; especially fast food restaurants.  The last thing I need is a sneezing, coughing teenager handling my food.  When we do eat out during cold/flu season, we choose either places where we can see our food being prepared, or high-end places that are more strict about the health of their food handlers.  Secondly, you really don't have to attend every single event.  If there are going to be people at an event whom we know are or have very recently been sick, we often choose not to attend.  The kids might complain that they are missing the fun, but they'll quickly agree that being sick for 3-5 days after the party just isn't worth it.

A Good Night's Sleep:  WebMD, the Healthy Green Kitchen, and The Scientist magazine all agree that getting a good night's sleep improves your immune system.  I know it's tempting to stay up after the kids go to bed and "get some things done", but slowing down and simplifying your life will do wonders towards being able to get to bed and fall asleep in time to get 8-9 hours of sleep each night.  Trust me, once you get into a habit of getting enough sleep, you'll wonder how you ever functioned without it.  

Cleanliness:  I am a mom.  I'm always reminding my children to wash their hands and clean up their spills.  However, I also find myself trying to grab a quick bite for myself and not taking the time to wash my own hands first.  So, this is just a simple reminder to take your own advice. Keeping not only our children's hands clean, but our own hands, counter tops, door knobs, and cell phones clean will greatly reduce the number of bacteria and viruses living in our homes.

How about you?  Do you have tips or ideas for keeping your family healthy during flu season?  I'd love to hear them.

Karissa